All Hail the Pirate Empire
by SonarTheHedgehog
Summary: We go back to Arthur's glory days, when he was the most powerful empire in ever. This is the story of his past, as we explore the seas together with the Britannia Angel. And there's USUK! It's done, but check the epilogue for a sneak peek at the sequel!
1. Intro and First Fight!

Close your eyes, and let's return to a time a couple hundred years back, when pirates ruled the seas. Imagine a massive ship, a grand frigate to be specific, with a gorgeously carved angel as the figurehead, arms outstretched as if in embrace. The name of this ship was the Britannia Angel, and she held nearly two hundred bloodthirsty crewmen. The Britannia Angel was captained by the very person she was named after, Captain Arthur Kirkland, England, he who ruled the most powerful empire to ever grace the earth.

This is the story of his glory days, before Alfred's existence, when he used his powers much more freely, the time when he was at his greatest and yet his most evil. He was invincible, a superstar by our standards. Let's dive in to his latest fight now…

"Where is this so called 'Lord of All Pirates' hiding?" A man named Juan Hernandez bellowed. He was the captain of the now sunken ship Sea Snake, and was a rather fat old bloke with receding dark hair, and a long grizzly beard. He had a pistol stuffed haphazardly into the sash around his waist, a saber at his side. Captain Hernandez wasn't expecting Arthur to come forward.

"I'm the captain here," Arthur stated, a smirk on his face. "And I'm starting to regret shooting at the old tub you seem to call a grand frigate." His crew laughed. Arthur's men were all burly, strong, seasoned sailors. While Arthur's hands were not calloused like there's, and had no hint of a tan anywhere on him, it was never hard for him to take them down. However, Hernandez did not seem to realize this, and continued to bellow in Arthur's face.

"You've got a pretty nice little getup for someone so young, don't you? And a nice ship to boot!" Hernandez laughed, his fat belly jiggling. Arthur tried his hardest not to show his disgust. This stupid Spaniard had no taste, did he?

"You're just a tiny little thing, aren't you? How about this boy, we'll say you got lucky taking down my ship, and I get yours, and you get to be, ah, my first mate or something, eh boy?"

Arthur was about to speak when one of his own men spoke up. "Stop insulting the captain. He could kill you in a second. Be grateful he didn't kill you when he sunk your ship moments ago."

"I'll admit, chap, I'm feeling kind of merciful today. I'll find the nearest piece of land and let you off, as long as you keep your mouth shut," Arthur said as he turned to head back to his cabin.

"You little…I'll show you!" Hernandez roared, pulling his pistol from his sash. Before anyone could react, Arthur turned and fired his own pistol, adding a third eye right between the Spaniard's two other ones. The man hit the deck, dead.

"Kill the rest of what's left of his men, whoever doesn't want to join our crew. He took a couple of our men; we take what's left of his. And someone, please get me a bottle of rum." With that, Captain Kirkland strode back into his cabin.

Not surprisingly, the few men from the Sea Serpent who had survived the raid were extremely willing to join. Hernandez's body was thrown carelessly overboard without a second thought as the ship rolled through the waves towards the nearest port to restock. It was overloaded with treasure, and the crew couldn't help but feel excited. The captain was always very giving when it came to distribution time.

After a reload of supplies and unloading of treasure, Arthur always had a checklist. First, more rum and alcohol all around. There must always be alcohol on the ship, always. Secondly, he scrapped all the crew's old weapons and had brought new swords and guns, replacing battered up old cannons with sleek new ones, and tons of ammunition, with some to spare. Then came the commodities necessary, including food and water supplies. Not that the crew ever ran out, the captain was the freaking Britannia Angel, he could do practically whatever he wanted. Just don't tell them that, he likes it to stay a secret for very obvious reasons.

That evening, the ship departed in search of good cannon fodder, specifically some French ships. Now, before I continue, let me tell of the rules on Captain Kirkland's ship. Number one, don't ever mention anyone by the name of Francis, regardless of whether the captain is around or not. Rule number two; don't ever mention the captain's eyebrows unless you are sincerely complementing them. Rule number three; don't challenge the captain to a drinking contest, as his alcohol tolerance was rather high at the time, and the challenger would most likely die of liver failure before the captain got completely drunk. At most, Arthur might have been slightly tipsy. Rule number four; don't challenge the captain to any sort of duel, he will kill you. Rule number five; if a crewmember fails to abide by these rules he will most likely die.

On that night though there didn't seem to be much of a problem, as the seas were calm. There were no ships around, so Captain Kirkland decided it was all right for everyone to have some drinks and relax. Maybe they'd get some Frenchies the next day.

Arthur sat in his cabin, a bottle of rum on the fine oak desk in front of him as he inspected the new charts he had just bought. Just when he took a swig of his rum, a few crewmembers came in, clearly tipsy. Arthur pushed the charts aside, and gave the men his full attention. Drunken sailors always made an interesting, and usually amusing conversation.

"Captain?" One man said, a tough looking fellow with a few scars underneath one eye.

"Yes, Robert?" Oh yes, this was going to be an interesting moment.

"Captain, by any chance, would you be Davy Jones in disguise?"

"No."

"Well, do you know Davy Jones?"

"No."

"Well…Do you believe in Davy Jones?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

All the men left the captain's quarters, shock apparent on their faces. One burst into tears.

"MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!"

Inside of his quarters, Arthur burst out laughing.

Arthur later went out wandering the massive ship later that evening, and went down to one of the lower decks, bottle of rum in one hand. Was he tipsy? Oh Hell to the no he wasn't.

Arthur was searching for his first mate, James, in particular. He was basically James' best friend, and they enjoyed each other's company. One mate sneezed as Arthur strode past him.

"God bless you," Arthur said as he passed, walking into another room. Indy, as he was called, turned to the man who had sneezed.

"Did you hear that? He said 'bless you'. I TOLD YOU HE COULDN'T BE THE DEVIL!"

Arthur heard the outburst, and barely managed to keep a straight face as he took another swig from the bottle. The theories his mates had about him always kept Arthur entertained.

After finding James and having a drink and a good chat, Arthur retired back to his quarters. He fell into a deep sleep, lulled by the waves that gently rocked the large ship.

"CAPTAIN! We've got company!"

Was it morning already…?

Shooing James from the cabin, Arthur quickly pulled on tight fitting black trousers, a puffed sleeve, loose white shirt, and long sleek black boots. Rushing outside into the crisp early morning air, Arthur looked out upon the sea he loved so dearly. There were two war frigates in the distance, heading straight towards the Britannia Angel, the morning dawn's rising sun as their backdrop. Someone rushed out of the cabin with Arthur's beloved sword, a blade forged with indestructible metal from a fallen star, the words Great Britain engraved ornately into one side of the sharp blade. The hilt was gold plated, a single round emerald encrusted symmetrically with the other on each side. Another crewman handed Arthur one of his coats, a red one with embroidered gold and polished buttons, then one of his hats, pure black with a sleek slate gray feather, the edges also embroidered with gold.

"Everyone to stations! Load the guns, get your weapons ready! Raise the Jolly Roger! I want movement!" Arthur yelled out as he buttoned his jacket. Someone handed him his decorated twin pistols, then took off to the crow's nest.

James was at the helm today; Arthur turned to him.

"Yer orders, Captain?"

"Get us between the two ships. We'll fire at them simultaneously.

"LOAD ALL GUNS!"

Pulling out a spyglass, Arthur glared through it at the ships. They were both belonging to the bloody French, the damn wankers. Contempt shot through Arthur's veins like ice. His eyes seemed to become a toxic green, his aura murderous. Some of the crew began to laugh ominously, others shivering, some in delight, some in fear of their beloved captain.

Arthur walked to the center of the top deck, and then knelt down. He placed his left hand on the top deck, and then released a wave of energy, blessing the ship. It was one of the perks of having magical powers, and created a sense of respect. Great power commanded respect from the people; for Arthur, the ship was his citadel, the vast oceans his eternal kingdom. And he would make everyone, including the French, respect him and acknowledge his power.

"We're nearing the ships, Captain!" James called. "What are your orders?"

"Keep on course, we're doing wonderfully."

He then addressed his entire crew. "Leave no man alive!"

The crew let out a unified roar of approval. Dawn broke over the horizon just as the Britannia Angel glided between the two ships. Arthur noted the two ships, all though smaller in size, had both armed themselves fully, men at the ready by the sides of the ship. The fools, they stood no chance against the spell Arthur had cast upon his own magnificent vessel. All the cannon balls from the French ships could possibly do was bounce off. After all, Arthur was invincible; he had a reputation to maintain.

The Britannia Angel was now at the exact halfway point betwixt the two ships, perfectly perpendicular.

"All cannons! FIRE!"

There was no need for a single gunshot from a pistol or rifle; the two war frigates were blown apart from the grand frigate's barrage. Arthur watched as splinters came flying from the ships onto the top deck of his own vessel as they were completely obliterated. Oh, yes. The sweet symphony of destruction was a sound all pirated wanted to hear.

"Captain, maybe we should have taken some loot from them before we suck them?" Robert asked.

"No," Arthur replied, "from the direction they were coming from, they just returned from port, most likely relatively empty. There would have been no point, and any resistance from them could have cost us men and supplies."

As the Britannia Angel sailed away, all that remained were the few still floating bodies, and the bogged down sails that had yet to sink.

Arthur helped clear the deck of all random splinters, then took shelter back into his cabin before heading to the mess hall. For some reason he felt that the day's adventures had only begun as he shed his coat and hat onto the bed. He kept his sword safely sheathed at his side though as he headed for the mess hall. His premonition would, in a few hours time, come true.


	2. Oh no! The Captain's Gone!

"Tell me, Conrad, what do you know about a young man called Arthur Kirkland?" Captain Joseph Lumbard stood on the deck of his ship, the Golden Sailor, smoking a cigar in his hand. Lumbard was an extremely tall man with a bit of a gut, but was well-dressed, thin brown hair on top of his head.

His best mate grit his teeth before he answered. "He's a young fellow, no older than maybe twenty three. The boy's a legend; apparently he hasn't aged ever since he was first seen sailing these seas ten years ago. No one knows how old he is for real."

"Isn't he British as well?"

"Yes Captain. And he calls his ship the Britannia Angel."

Lumbard went silent, pulling the cigar out of his mouth.

"Captain…?"

"We find that ship, and we take the captain hostage. I'm pretty certain that little pirate is something more than most people think."

"Yes, sir. I'll call everyone to stations at once."

Lumbard turned away, and took a long drag on his cigar. All he had to do was get the brat pirate in his grasp, and then HE, Joseph Lumbard, would be the pirate king. He could even rival God…!

Arthur's laughter echoed over the deck as he and James clung to each other to avoid falling over from laughing too hard. "Captain, ha-ha! I-I can't believe the entire ship bloody serenaded you! HA!"

"You started it, you git!" Arthur replied with a laugh. "And you lot call yourselves pirates…"

Indy came running up to the two of them as the rest of the crew began to go back to their duties.

"Captain Kirkland! Ship ahoy to starboard!"

"Already? Has anyone identified it?"

"Yes, sir, a British flagship."

"Then there's no need to attack it," Arthur replied. He went back to his quarters, shutting the French double doors behind him. He dropped into the ornately carved chair behind his desk, and pulled over a chart. Now about that one island…

"CAPTAIN!"

Arthur looked up, startled. "What is it now?" He asked James, who wore a slightly panicked look on his face.

"I just heard from the man up in the crow's nest. That British flagship just pulled up the Jolly Roger!"

"Call the men to arms, and I want half the cannons on each side loaded, am I understood James?"

"Yes, sir. Are you going to do your normal uh, thing before battle Captain?"

"Yes, now hurry!"

James ran off, yelling out Arthur's orders. Arthur stood up, not even bothering to pull on one of his coats. Sure they were fancy and all, but the weather was much nicer now that it was late morning. He snatched up the same black hat from earlier that morning, and checked to make sure his pistols were fully loaded. With that, he strode from the cabin and out onto the deck.

"Hoist the Jolly Roger! Let's see who these men are," Arthur said, eyes alight. He knelt down to the deck's floor to do his usual ritual. He had a feeling that today was going to be rather interesting indeed.

Lumbard held a spyglass up to his face, and peered through it carefully. He saw many men out on the deck, but he saw the one with the hat. Pale skinned, a little on the short side, lean frame. A nice looking young man overall. Too bad the little thing would be thrown into the brig.

"Bring it on, Britannia." He murmured to himself. Lumbard grinned, revealing his rotten yellow teeth. "I've got you now!"

The two ships sailed right up to each, yet neither captain ordered for a barrage. Instead of waiting for Arthur to extend an invitation to come aboard, Lumbard attempted to force his way onto the Britannia Angel. Arthur motioned to his men to let Lumbard and some of his men by, ignoring the ill manners.

Lumbard extended his hand to Arthur, noting that there were no calluses on Arthur's hands. But his grip was firm, and Lumbard liked that.

"The Britannia Angel, eh? Named it after a fairytale?"

"Yes," Arthur stated. "I was told about the angel as a child."

"Why don't you come on over to my ship and have a drink? I've got plenty of alcohol, and I'm sure there's plenty to talk about."

Arthur saw the coldness in Lumbard's eyes, saw how they were watching him, calculating his every move. "Alright," he said. "But you never gave me your name, nor have I given you mine. I'm Arthur Kirkland."

"Arthur Kirkland? As in the pirate lord? The emerald-eyed master of the seas? Oh, but you're so young!"

Arthur knew that Lumbard was overdoing it. He wanted something, that much was clear, and he was feigning surprise so as to flatter Arthur. The atmosphere aboard the Britannia Angel was getting tense, the crew sensing Lombard's intentions.

"I'm Joseph Lumbard," The captain said quickly, as if he were rushed. No, it was more like he was anticipating something. He seemed too eager, and Arthur could feel it. "Now, let's go have a drink, there are some things I want to discuss with you…"

Arthur handed Indy his hat before Lumbard gripped his shoulder in a somewhat possessive grip, steering him onto the Golden Sailor. James gave a glance to some of the other crewmen, observing them. He could tell that they were barely containing their complete disgust.

"That bastard's touching the captain!" One of them hissed. James gave a slight nod to acknowledge the statement. Why were all of Lumbard's men heading back to their own ship, and in such a hurry?

"James!" He turned to face one of the taller men, George. "I think I know why they're leavin' the ship."

"Why? I'm sure they're probably just more comfortable with their own ship."

"Really, then why are they moving like they're trying to take off?"

James turned and gasped as he saw that the two ships were about to disconnect.

"THE CAPTAIN!"

James yelled for someone to take the helm as the Golden Sailor began to take off. He had a plan; catch up to the ship, take back the captain, pillage a bit, shoot the ship. He was silently praying that hopefully Captain Kirkland wouldn't be too angry that his crew let him get kidnapped so easily.

Aboard the Golden Sailor, Arthur realized what had happened after he felt the ship begin to move. Yet, he wasn't exactly surprised, but was slightly angry with himself for not staying on his own ship.

Lumbard looked rather gleeful. "I've got you now. I am the new pirate king!"

Joseph Lumbard wasn't expecting Arthur to simply roll his eyes at him.

"Oh, yeah, sure you are," Arthur said scathingly in his most sarcastic tone. "What else are you, a fool?"

"I think you were the one that got fooled here, Captain Kirkland…or can I call you Britannia?"

That took Arthur aback. Oh, God, the man KNEW that he had powers. Did he know about personified nations too? Either way, the man would have to die if he carried this knowledge around with him.

"You bastard," Arthur hissed.

"Take him away," Lumbard ordered casually. Arthur, on the other hand, wasn't going to stand for this. As a crewman moved to grab him, Arthur stood and flashed out his blade, striking the man a blow across the chest diagonally. He was about to turn to swing at Lumbard when he heard the click of a gun being cocked.

"Drop your sword, Britannia." Arthur knew he had to obey; he couldn't risk this man seeing his quick healing abilities. He dropped his sword and sheath, Lumbard grinning as he picked them both up carefully with one hand.

"This is a lovely blade. I think I might just keep it for myself." With that, Arthur felt himself be dragged away unceremoniously down to the brig. He was going to beat the Hell out of this fool!

Many of the Golden Sailor's crew gaggled at Arthur like he was some exotic creature that had never been seen before. Yet Arthur maintained his composure and walked with a certain sense of pride.

It wasn't long before they reached the brig, Lumbard shoving the British nation inside, locking the metal grilled doors behind him. "A caged angel," Lumbard sneered. "Sit tight, Britannia. I'll come and see you later."

As Arthur watched Lumbard stride away, he couldn't stop the cruel little smile that formed. The poor fool was going die. Arthur gripped one of the metal bars, and it began to melt.

Captain Lumbard gazed out as he saw the Britannia Angel continue to get awfully close to his ship. Who knew anything so large could be so fast? He fingered the sword that now lay at his hip. All Joseph would need now was the ship, and he would have a complete set.

"Sir! The prisoner has escaped!"

Lumbard turned, shock apparent in his face as the color drained away. How…? No one answered his question as he felt a blow to his kidney. Ugh!

The sword was ripped from his hip, and Lumbard turned to see Arthur standing there, the sword and sheath now around his own waist. This guy was fast! Suddenly, the ship's deck began to rattle violently as cannons fired.

"Return fire!" Lumbard screeched. He pulled his sword on Arthur, who pulled his own, and they began to duel. Swing there; dodge there, And DISARM! The sword went flying from Lumbard's grip as it landed in the sea, lost beneath the waves. Joseph went for his pistol, only to find that it was gone. He looked up, finding the barrel of it in his face.

"You idiot. Only I am the lord of all pirates!" There was a bang, and Joseph Lumbard was no more.

Arthur flung the pistol away, and sheathed his sword. He saw that some of his men were looting the ship. He couldn't help but approve, after all the crap he'd gone through that day.

He jumped back over to his own ship, and came up behind James who was shouting orders.

"FIND THE CAPTAIN! HE'S THE PRIORITY HERE! MOVE IT!"

"I'm right here, James."

The entire ship went deathly silent as the crew all turned to stare at their captain, who was smiling like nothing had ever happened.

"Captain! I-we, uh, please don't be angry that we let you get kidnapped." James said quickly.

Arthur shook his head. "The fault wasn't yours, it was my lapse in judgment."

The Golden Sailor exploded in the background, but no one seemed to notice as they continued to gawk at their captain. It took a moment before the cheers started all around, and Arthur's smile widened.

It would be a few days until something else crazy happened, but at least when Arthur was bad, he was perfectly good at it.


	3. Frenchies and Betrayal!

The Britannia Angel pulled out of port after an extremely successful raid, which involved the takedown of three ships and pillaging of a town. The ship was fully loaded for her next voyage, this time having to have stopped for a few days in order to get minor repairs. It was early morning, and Arthur looked out upon the still dark sea.

He inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of salt, listening to the cries of gulls and the swish of the ocean waves, the gentle creaking of the stable deck. It was quiet moments like these that Arthur enjoyed most.

That is, until he heard what sounded like cannon fire in the distance. Arthur shot a look up at the crow's nest. "What's going on up there?"

"Captain, there's an entire fleet of ships headed towards us! It's the French!"

That got Arthur riled up immediately. He called everyone to stations, to load all guns, prepare for battle. This was going to be rough.

Arthur did his usual protective ritual, and then went into his quarters. He grabbed his twin pistols, his sword, and a musket. Then he threw on a black coat with red trim and gold buttons, and a red hat with a black feather. Arthur strode back out into the chilly morning air, the sun rising in the distance. The fleet could be seen more clearly now, and it was confirmed that they were indeed French.

"Hoist the colors! Prepare all battle stations! James, let me take over the helm."

The Britannia Angel was headed straight for the fleet, which was in a thin v-formation. Arthur turned the ship hard to starboard, swinging it around so it faced the oncoming fleet perpendicularly.

"Fire starboard cannons on my call!"

The entire crew sat in eager anticipation. Arthur took a look in his spy glass, and he swore he could see Francis Bonnefoy himself as the fleet drew ever nearer. Just a moment longer…

"FIRE!"

Cannons ignited on the entire side of the ship. The crew worked quickly and efficiently to reload the cannons, as the first three French ships took damage. Arthur commanded for another round of shots.

Francis Bonnefoy had forgotten how brutal Arthur could be. He could see Arthur, who seemed to be glaring right through his soul. Francis shivered at the sight of the first ship being blown apart, the two behind it in the formation taking serious damage.

"Your orders, Monsieur?"

Francis glanced at the man as he pondered the situation. Out of seven ships, one was already sunk, and several others had taken damage. Although there were more ships in the fleet than the one Arthur commanded, Francis was only using war frigates, while Arthur's was a grand frigate. Not to mention the number of men and the firepower aboard the Britannia Angel was staggering.

Francis decided the risk wasn't worth it. "Order a retreat!"

Arthur called a ceasefire as he watched the remaining French ships flee. He considered going after them for a moment, then decided against it. There would be no point.

"Sail back on course! If we want another good haul we want to hit that trade route!"

James watched as Captain Kirkland went down below to inspect the ammunition supplies. They were still high, there was no doubt about that, but it was always best to check. The first mate smirked to himself; the crew had the best captain that had ever lived, the man who had single-handedly raised a gangly crew of ten to a massive, burly crew of nearly two hundred.

Nothing could stop Arthur, not even a mutiny. The crew loved Captain Kirkland too much to mutiny against him. He never forced anyone to stay, and was very generous to his crewmen. Yet he also had his fearsome side, the side that demanded nothing but utter respect. Most of the men aboard the ship were taller and more muscular than the captain, yet he could easily kill them. He had an ethereal quality that no one could really place, which fueled the stories that were passed around the ship and the ports between both drunken and sober men alike.

James knew nothing could possibly stop Arthur, except for one possible plan, something not even Arthur would suspect. See, James had been a part of Arthur's crew for a while, having finally gained the duty of first mate. Captain Kirkland trusted him completely, and would never expect anything against him from the first mate.

James had gathered from the kidnapping attempt that there was something from the captain that Lombard had wanted, only to realize that it had to be the captain himself, not something the captain had. And it didn't matter how much trust existed in the ship's inner realm, a pirate was a pirate. And the number one rule of piracy was to never trust anyone. Too bad for Captain Kirkland that he had broken that rule; it was going to cost the captain his place, and make him a prisoner in the ship he had worked so hard to build.

James first plan of action: get the captain alone, and overtake him. Then do what Lombard hadn't done; MAKE SURE there was no way he could escape. Surely even the most supernatural beings had a weakness, didn't they?

Then he would take control of the ship accordingly, and force the captain to sign over the deeds of the ship to him. James glanced over towards the captain's cabin, watching Arthur come out unarmed, also having removed the excessive articles, including his coat and hat. The moment of betrayal was drawing near, and James had been waiting for this chance since day one. It was nothing personal, it was simply how business was done in piracy.

"Captain, could I see you for a moment?" Arthur looked over and gave a small smile. He didn't suspect anything, that was good. James had everything going for him ; he was armed, and was taller and stronger than Arthur. He would conquer the pirate lord, making James the emperor of the seas.

"Good morning, James," Arthur said, as he had not properly greeted James earlier that morning.

"Captain, I have a secret." Arthur gave a slightly puzzled look when James said this, and obliged when James motioned for him to come a little closer.

James whispered in Arthur's ear as he pulled the cock of the pistol hidden in his hand. "I have you now."

Arthur's eyes widened in confusion, even more so when James twisted around, pinning the captain's arms to his sides as held him, Arthur's back against his torso, the pistol pointed underneath Arthur's jawbone. James could feel his captain tense a bit with shock and anger, and laughed a little.

The entire crew came up onto the top deck, only able to stare in shock at the sight.

"No one move any closer, or I blast a hole in Captain Kirkland's skull!" James shouted. "And from now on, you can all call me 'Captain' James Ambrose!

"And from you, Arthur," James sneered. "I need you to sign over some documents for me."

Arthur saw a look of uncertainty come over his crew. This was bad. Really, really bad.


	4. The Silver Boy

Arthur was shoved roughly into his quarters, James holding onto his left arm tightly. He was pushed down into the chair behind the desk, his former first mate pushing a piece of parchment at him with a sneer. Reluctantly, Arthur began to write as James paced around the room, dictating exactly what he wanted the page to read.

James paused after a few minutes, and glanced over at Arthur, whose pen was gliding across the page in that elegant script of his. The new captain felt a smirk come to his lips as he watched the young blonde write diligently. He returned to his pacing with a watchful eye on Arthur, and began to dictate again.

Arthur had a perfect poker face on as he wrote; it was something he had perfected as a child nation, as it was one of the few ways he had managed to deter his older siblings from teasing him. No reaction was often the best way to go when it came to being teased, as well as many other situations, like now. The Englishman felt a slight pang in his heart; he was secretly starting to miss his brothers, and he knew that they were worried about him. After all, they were the ones that had tried to stop him from taking this path…

Clearing his head of other thoughts, Arthur quickly continued to write, not slowing down. A few moments later, Arthur finished the document, and begrudgingly signed it at the bottom. He rolled it neatly, and sealed it with wax. James strode over triumphantly, and snatched the document straight from Arthur's delicate hands as he stood up.

Arthur was led from the room by two of the crew towards the brig, James staying behind as the double French doors closed behind them. His fingers fumbled to tear off the wax seal on the parchment, his anticipation consuming him. After several minutes of frustration, the damn little seal came off in his hand. He unrolled the document, and scanned it eagerly. His face fell at the contents within, eyes widening in horror.

_ Dear James, YOU FAIL. You bloody wanker, why would I give you my ship and my crew? And did you seriously think I could be defeated so easily, that I would just give up? Looks like all of your waiting and scheming was for nothing, you sorry git. I trusted you with my life James, and I'm sorry that it had to end for you like this. Wait, I take that back. I'm not THAT sorry. Did I mention that you are an idiot? – Captain Arthur Kirkland._

Furious, James tore the parchment in half. He had been so close to being captain, but that little rat had beaten him at his own game! James cursed, checking his pistol to make sure it was cocked.

He flung open the doors to the ship's deck, and strode out angrily. The entire crew stood on the deck waiting for him, Arthur in front.

"You little bastard!" James practically screamed. "I should be captain!"

He raised the pistol, and there was a gunshot. It resounded through the ship eerily, followed by a dim thud as a body hit the floor. Arthur handed the gun back to Indy.

"Thanks for letting me borrow that."

"Anytime, Captain," Indy replied with a grin as they gazed at James Ambrose's body. The pistol was taken from him, the body thrown carelessly overboard.

Rum and sherry were brought out all around, celebrating the safe return of the ship's true captain. Arthur took a long swig from a bottle as he joined the fray, thankful to be surrounded by people he cared about.

An uneventful week passed, and Arthur was going stir crazy. The crew having sensed the captain's mood together proposed a raid. It had been a while since they had last hit up a town.

So they decided to hit a coastal town on some random island, a port called Port Chance. It sounded perfect. There was plenty of business there, and a few wealthy wankers, surely.

When they hit port, the whole crew jumped ship. Silently laughing to himself, Arthur laid a curse on the ship, should an idiot try to steal it. Throwing on an emerald green coat with gold buttons over his usual black and white attire, and his black hat with white feathers, Arthur joined some of his crewmates, sword at his waist.

Robert led one of the raiding parties, torching a building here, looting a shop there. They broke into a jewelry store, a bakery, a sword smith, and a small brewery. The captain would be mighty pleased, that's for sure. As they ran out of a silver smith's shop, a teenage boy tried to tackle a man named Brian, one of the lankier crewmen.

"Get out of our town, you evil pirate scum!" The sandy haired young teen cried, silver eyes flashing in brutal anger.

"Well, will you look at that," Robert said as he easily lifted the boy from Brian. "He's got silver eyes. They say silver is good luck aboard the ship."

"And we could stand to gain a new crew member. Massive as we are, I'm sure we could fit another," Brian replied with a malicious grin.

The teenage boy was flung over Robert's broad shoulder, and carried back to the ship. As hard as he kicked and beat on Robert's back, nothing happened except for the mocking laughter of the rest of the party. The rest of the crew had already returned to the ship, and was getting ready to set sail as the afternoon crept in. After a few more moments, the boy was dropped onto the deck as the ship pushed off from the dock.

The whole crew seemed to gather around, their raucous jeers filling and overloading the poor boy's ears. He was only fourteen, and pirates had kidnapped him! His father would be furious, that was certain.

The crew seemed to close in on him more, one of them dragging him up from the deck's floor. They were rowdy and brutish and dirty, some missing teeth.

"That's enough, men."

The voice rang loud and clear, silencing the ship, the only sounds being the gentle rocking of the waves all around them. The voice had a certain chime to it, some sort of quality expected in a nobleman. The boy was put firmly back on deck, his shirt dirty from the filthy hands that had twisted at it. The crowd of pirates shifted, clearing an aisle for a young- looking man in emerald green.

The teen's eyes widened as the man strode forward. He was clean looking, pale skinned, neat, only slightly toned; the exact opposite of the rest of the crew. Arthur stood straight in front of the teen now, emerald eyes gazing clearly into silver ones.

"What's your name, young one?"

"I-I'm Tori." Tori was a little miffed inside. Young one? Like this guy was one to talk! He was probably only ten years older, the jerk. "Once my father figures out that I'm gone, he'll come after you. He's a rich man, my father. He'll show you for sure!"

Arthur laughed a little at this. "I doubt it. My name is Arthur Kirkland, and I'm the captain of this ship, the Britannia Angel. Let me show you around."

Arthur extended his hand, and Tori realized that this man wasn't evil. He was a pirate, but yet he wasn't bad somehow. He took the hand offered; it was clean and smooth as Arthur led him away, shooing the crew back to their duties. Arthur had a nice scent, clean and comforting.

A few hours later, Tori found himself in the captain's quarters, sitting across from Arthur, who had shed the coat and hat, and was polishing the gleaming sword he treasured. After a few moments of silence, Tori piped up.

"Did you name the ship after the fairytale character?"

Arthur smiled at that. "Yes, I did. The angel who brought peace, cursed the vile, brought dreams and wishes to fruition, and protected the people of Great Britain. One of the most powerful entities in the universe."

"You're different from the rest of them."

"A lot of people have that opinion. I'm used to it."

Silence took hold again, until Arthur spoke.

"You seem convinced that you're father can stop me."

Silver eyes fired up at the statement. "I know my father will come for me. Pirates are pirates, and he'll send everyone he can after you!"

Arthur couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. He stood up, and turned to leave the room.

"Come, let's get to the mess hall. The others will show you where to sleep."

Arthur strode into the open evening air, the sun setting on the horizon. He vanished into the mob of crewmen, and Tori was left to be escorted by some of the boisterous men. He had never felt so alone in his life.

The next morning came quickly, and Tori awoke a little early. Those who weren't on watch were still sleeping, some snores drifting about. Swinging his legs out of his hammock, Tori jumped down as silently as possible, and crept up on deck. He went over to the starboard side, and gazed out upon the sea. The rising sun illuminated it, highlighting its darker hues.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Tori jumped, not having expected the captain to appear beside him. "You…!"

"I don't want to be your enemy, Tori. You're part of this crew now, and I want you to see that."

Tori opened his mouth, and turned to make a retort but stopped. Arthur was gone.

Thanks to Sebastian's Servant Felicia for all the help on this chapter! I'm totally ready and full of ideas for what's next thanks to you!


	5. The New First Mate? Oh, and the BFT!

Tori looked out upon the evening air as the sun nearly finished setting in the background. Other crewmen were wandering the deck, some still at their duties. Tori's official job aboard the ship was to be one of the bilge men, someone who pumped water out as it came into the ship after an attack. That was the ironic thing though; the Britannia Angel never took any damage, so there was nothing to bilge out.

He shuddered slightly as he remembered the fight they had gotten into with a Viking ship earlier that day. Tori had carried cannonballs to men who needed to reload their guns, and had stabbed a few of the Viking men too. That one bloke, George, had given him a dagger to defend himself. After the battle Tori had cleaned it and put it back into its leather sheath.

The boy sighed as he gazed out at the sea. He hadn't seen the captain all day, and there was a quality about him that Tori just couldn't quite grasp. He was about to turn away from the side of the ship when his ears caught holds of a conversation two of the men were having.

"The captain, he hasn't named anyone to be his new first mate yet…"

"What, you think it's going to be you? The captain cares about us all, but the first mate is always the most trusted person."

"Yeah, but after what happened with James Ambrose…"

"Our poor captain, he didn't deserve that…"

The conversation died away as the men headed to the galley. Tori remembered that earlier Robert had told him about James Ambrose, the traitorous first mate to Captain Kirkland, who had waited for years before trying to knock the captain from his perch. The plan backfired, obviously, as the man's skeleton was at the bottom of the sea.

Tori didn't know the crew very well yet, but he still wondered whom Captain Kirkland would name his new first mate. The first mate did practically everything, basically running the entire ship while the captain did the most important management, and made all of the major decisions. The man would have to be very capable if he wanted to be the first mate of the Britannia Angel. Captain Kirkland wouldn't stand for anything less than the best.

The next morning after breakfast it was announced that the Captain would be having a "trial period" for a new first mate. Meaning, he would have someone be first mate for a whole day, and if they did well, he would keep them in consideration. Captain Kirkland did this purposefully so as to see who would step forward, and to find the ones that were truly capable.

First was Robert. He was liked among many of the crew's men, was both strict and kind, and a good supervisor. He was one of Arthur's executive officers, those who were directly below the first mate. There were only about four of them, him, Indy, George, and Brian. They reported to Arthur throughout the day to keep him updated on all the ship's happenings, everything from leaks to potential mutinies to an outbreak of sickness.

The only thing stopping Robert was the lack of arithmetic skills, which he needed when handling the loading and unloading of loot, cargo, and commodities.

Brian and Indy also tried, but had the exact same problem. George didn't do too badly, except for that without the help of the other three he felt a bit overwhelmed, and wasn't quite as commanding as he needed to be. Then there was that one random bloke whom no one ever remembered hiring, and wasn't capable of doing much.

Arthur sat in his cabin, feeling a headache coming on. He needed rum, and a new first mate. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, pushing the charts he had been studying away from himself as he crossed his legs. Someone had once told him that he crossed his legs like a woman, but he really didn't give a damn.

He sighed again and closed his eyes, simply trying to enjoy the gentle warmth of his cabin. He liked his ship clean and orderly, unlike other ships that were so poorly maintained, the wood was rotting. Arthur tried to think of a worthy candidate when an idea hit him. His eyes flew open, as he darted up from the seat.

"Tori…!"

Tori gulped nervously as he arose a little earlier from the rest of the crew. He had to go see the captain, then start his day as the test first mate. He pulled himself together, then headed upstairs to the top deck, and shivered a bit as it was still chilly out. Quickly, Tori made his way to the cabin, and knocked, three sharp raps. Arthur called for him to enter, and Tori pushed open the doors.

"Good morning, Captain Kirkland," Tori said much more calmly than he believed he would have.

"Good morning Tori. I presume you still remember the duties I made you aware of last night?"

Those emerald green eyes of his were gentle, not the harsh pirate lord that was more often present. Tori could only nod as he was dismissed.

First, Tori roused the crew and get them to do some preparation work. Next was breakfast, and after that he got them started on their duties. Then throughout the day, he oversaw their work and made sure no one was slacking off. He would allow them to go to lunch break in shifts. He also checked the cargo and counted all loot and commodities, just to make sure when the next time they would need to make port. Tori reported to Captain Kirkland multiple times throughout the day, and felt oddly in control over the other crewmembers.

Tori were about to get the ship's cook when he heard the man up in the crow's nest.

"Ship! There's a ship ahead! PIRATES AHOY!"

Tori ran to get Arthur, and then got the crew ready. They were loading the cannons, good, getting weapons, good. The ship had a sense of control as it bustled to life.

Arthur stood on deck, waiting. He hadn't bothered even getting into some of his more fancy attire. The usual black and white would be fine for this evening. The two ships glided up to each other, the other matching the size of the Britannia Angel. No shots were fired, but the Angel's crew were shocked when one of the men aboard the ship called out to their captain.

"OI! Arthur!"

"Hey, it's Arthur!"

"Mon cher, it's so good to see your lovely face (and body) again!"

Arthur did a face palm. The Bad Friends Trio has come to gangbang him AGAIN. This was going to be an interesting night…


	6. Fired Upon!

Arthur stared at the ship across from his, the three buffoons waving at him like idiots. Really, if the damn frog had to show up, why couldn't he come alone? It was never just Francis; he always had Gilbert and Antonio in tow.

The Briton felt a lust for blood inside of him stir, and he knew now was the perfect opportunity to take out some of his hatred of the world on someone else. Sure, nations couldn't die, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun, did it?

"Hey, amigo! You want to come over to our side and have some fun?"

"Oui, and bring the little one with you! He's never too young to learn!"

Arthur was ready to erupt, and his whole crew knew it. Their captain was getting that toxic dark aura again, and his eyes were glowing. And was it just them, or were those storm clouds above them?

"LOAD THE CANNONS!"

Oh yes, the captain was out for blood. The crew swarmed to life, and Tori began to shout orders, yelling for someone to hoist the colours, and overseeing the crew as they snatched up weapons and filled the cannons. Someone handed Arthur his twin pistols, and he fired into the other crew as they scrambled to keep up with Arthur's. He managed to hit some poor bastard in the side of his skull, killing him. The man fell over the side of the French ship and into the dark sea with a splash.

"I love getting in head shots, almost as much as I love tea," Arthur mused as he continued firing at the other side. Some of his crewmen turned to each other, confused looks on their faces. The captain was utterly mad, yet no one questioned him anyway. Oh yeah, there was a new rule on the ship: Captain Kirkland is always correct, even when he's wrong.

Gilbert simply looked on as his two best friends attempted to stop Arthur's barrage, and rolled his eyes, sighing. He should have known this was a bad idea. No matter how good Antonio claimed he was, Arthur was always better. Seriously, one of these days, Antonio's whole armada was going to get wiped out or something…

The albino Prussian was shaken from his thoughts as a man rescued him from the falling main mast as it crashed the center of the ship. Gilbert swore he could hear Arthur's cackling over the sound of Francis's cursing. The albino himself was quite the cackler, but he had never heard Arthur cackle. The sound reminded Gilbert of himself…only more British.

On the Britannia Angel, Arthur took a swig of rum from the bottle in his left hand as he fired his pistol without looking in the right hand. All of his hits were dead on, striking his targets in the head, face, or throat. All of a sudden, he felt his hat get shot off his head. There was a giant hole in it when he went to pick it up.

"Bloody Hell! That's the third hat this month! I know we just went to port two days ago, but we need to stop again so I can buy more hats. And tea, I'm running out of tea, we forgot to get that…"

It amazed the crew how their captain could think about such mundane things in the middle of a battle, and not get shot.

Two men from the floundering French side jumped over to the Britannia Angel. Arthur smashed the now empty rum bottle over the first one's head, then stabbed the other with the shards attached to the bottle head. Both went tippling over into the ocean, vanishing from the mortal world.

Francis watched from a lifeboat as his ship slowly sank, and couldn't help but feel depressed. Arthur, he didn't really even have to try! One of these days, he would figure out Arthur's secret, and the Briton would be brought down from his high and mighty throne, kicking and screaming if need be.

Arthur ordered the helmsman to turn the ship to starboard, heading away from the sinking remains of the ruined ship. He saw one of his crewmen come stumbling out from the lower deck, totally wasted. Loyd, a well-built man pointed a gun at Arthur's head.

"I was loyal to James!" Loyd drawled. "I declare a-a mutiny!"

He fired the pistol, aimed directly at Arthur's head. The whole crew watched in horror as their captain's body hit the deck. Tori suddenly realized that without Arthur, HE was the captain. HE had to give the orders now, and it surprised him how he knew what to do.

"Get him! Kill him!" Tori ordered. One of the men slit Loyd's throat from behind and tossed the man overboard. Tori got down on his hands and knees next to Arthur, along with a few of the other men. The silver-eyed boy was a bit surprised when he saw how gentle the crew was with Captain Kirkland.

"Isn't he dead?" Tori asked, not yet aware of the situation.

"No," Robert boomed in his deep voice. "I saw this happen once before, when the captain still had a smaller ship. We got into a bad fight, and he was shot…but he awoke within a day or two."

Tori felt uncertain as he gave out the next command. "Er, take him to his, uh, cabin then." How could Arthur possibly be alive when he wasn't moving, and had no detectable pulse?

Captain Kirkland looked tiny as one of the burlier crewmen carried him into the cabin. His emerald green coat, which had been handed to him earlier, was gently removed, his sword taken from his waist, any other decorations removed leaving him in the normal black and white attire.

Tori came into the room as the other men left, a basin with warm water and a cloth in his hands. Sitting next to the captain's bed, he gazed at the figure before him. It wasn't really an awkward situation, he just never imagined this young-looking man to be so…vulnerable looking. Tori gently cleaned the captain's face of all the blood, and the bit that had dribbled onto his neck. Goodness, had the captain always had skin this pale?

Tori cleaned the last of the dried blood away when he realized that there was no more bullet wound. Who exactly was the captain, to heal this quickly?

The first mate stood up quickly, taking the basin and cloth out of the room, and returned within a few moments. He went back to the captain's bedside, where he felt he should be. Although Tori knew that he shouldn't like his abductor, he couldn't help but feel he belonged on that ship.

Far away on a distant sea, an enraged father began the search for his son, preparing a whole fleet.


	7. Decisions and Ship Pillaging!

Tori stayed by the captain's side for a while, but soon left to resume his duties, thoughts in mind to return to the captain a little later. Something about the captain kept nagging at him from the back of his mind, but the teen pushed it away as he went to supervise the crew and check in with the executive officers.

Meanwhile, the British nation stirred from unconsciousness, and slowly sat up, trying to remember what happened. Oh yeah, he got shot. What was up with his crew and traitors, lately? Arthur swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up carefully. The room was dark, but the candles around the room illuminated with the lazy wave of Arthur's hand.

He sat down at his ornate desk, and after some sorting, pulled a chart out from one of the drawers, and opened it. He was trying to decide of a place to pillage next after they hit port again, oh yeah, he had to get tea…yeah. Tortuga didn't sound bad, except that place was a constant mess, and wasn't really good for pillaging. The best places to pillage were all of the coastal towns that were nice quiet, with a mild fear of a pirate attack. Those were the most fun places to hit up; the people in those types of towns generally tended to scream more, yes…

Arthur turned his attention back to the chart, emerald eyes darting back and forth across the page, gleaming in the candlelight, giving the Briton angel nation a kind of eerie look. His eyes caught hold of a Spanish port, and an evil smile graced his face. After they stopped in the first port to restock a bit, and get tea, they would head straight for the coast of Spain, maybe hit up a few ships on the way. A chill ran down Arthur's spine at the thought of hearing that blessed cannon fire that soothed his anguished soul so much. The Briton knew that he wouldn't always be this kind of person, but he would remain so for a while.

He stood up from his desk, and grabbed the chart from its gleaming surface as he exited the cabin. Arthur strode out onto the deck, the double doors swinging shut behind him. Life was good. He showed the helmsman the chart, and stood up top at the helm for several minutes, discussing the route.

After that, Arthur headed back down to the main deck, then to the lower decks, scaring the Hell out of some of his crewmen. Immediately, whispers began shooting around the members of the crew. The captain was invincible…he was a demon straight from Hell itself…the rum he drank was actually disguised blood. Arthur had heard all sorts of theories, and was rather used to it. Nonetheless, it still amused him to hear all the dark tales and rumors that emerged from drunkenness and sunstroke.

Tori came around the corner right then, certainly not expecting Arthur to be there. He stopped a few feet away from Arthur, mouth agape, much to the amusement of many of the other crewmembers.

"You look like a codfish with your mouth agape like that, silly. Have you checked on dinner preparations?"

Tori straightened himself as he spoke, "Yes, Captain, and I was about to ring the bell to call the crew to dinner."

"Good," Arthur said as he strode by.

"That man is such a parent," someone sniggered as Arthur left the room. Tori heard the comment, and suddenly thought of his own father, and realized that if his father DID find him, he would die…!

On his way to the galley, Tori felt panic constrict his heart. His father would come to rescue him, only to have his ship shot to pieces by the Britannia Angel…

"Are you alright?"

Tori looked up into glittering emerald eyes, which showed a hint of concern in them. How did the captain manage to sneak up on him?

"I'm fine," Tori lied as smoothly as he could. "And you?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you." With that, Arthur proceeded to hand Tori a bottle of whiskey, and walked away. It took Tori a moment to realize that he was expected to DRINK IT HIMSELF, not hold it for the captain.

He did just that during dinner. Well, actually, Tori more like chugged it down his throat.

"That's the spirit, lad! Drown away your sorrows, just like that!" Someone said.

The next day they arrived at port, and finally got the captain his tea, and stocked up for a massive raid. The Spanish wouldn't know what hit them, the bastards.

Two full days after leaving port, Ryan, who sat in the crow's nest, looked out over the night sky when he spotted something. Picking up his spyglass, he looked out. White sails, and the Spanish flag on three merchant vessels.

"Spanish ships ahoy!" Ryan screeched out. "Three merchant vessels ahead of us, a little to the port side! Ships ahoy!"

Arthur came up from below deck, a new hat on his head to replace on of the ones he had lost; specifically, the black one with the gold trim. His red and black coat was new too, the gold buttons gleaming in the starlight.

"Load the cannons! Take to arms! Raise the jolly roger! AND WHERE IS MY SWORD?"

The three ships neared as Arthur continued to shout commands, keeping an eye out as the ships drew ever near to his own. He waited until they were just close enough, but not too close…

"FIRE!"

His men gleefully obeyed, the merchant vessels fraught with panicking sailors. The Britannia Angel's crew threw boards between ships so as to travel between them. The pirate vessel fired at the ships, taking out the main so as to prevent further sailing.

A more plump Spaniard with a beard fumbled with a musket as he pointed it at Arthur's chest; Arthur got the shot in first using a pistol, slitting another man's throat with his sword at the same time. He really did enjoy the feeling of the blade slicing open flesh. It made him think of all the times anyone had cut open his soul with cruel, harsh words.

A parry here, a thrust there, a jab to the neck. One man rushed at Arthur, only to be impaled all the way through by Arthur's beloved sword. Arthur pulled the blade out with a bit of a squelch, and kicked the dying man so that he fell over backwards off of the ship and into the freezing cold Atlantic.

Two more men came at Arthur at the same time, bayonets brandishing forward. Arthur gracefully stepped out of the way, the two men impaling each other, one bayonet in the throat, the other through the heart. They, too fell into the blackened, rippling sea where their lonely graves sat awaiting them.

"FIRE!" Arthur shouted again as supplies and other goods were pilfered from the ships. Everything worth taken was had; it was time to bring this merry time to an end.

As the Britannia Angel granted wishes, he gave the last surviving merchant sailors a fast death as they were ripped apart along with their ships.


	8. Longing For Home

Dawn broke over the horizon, and Arthur stirred in his sleep, eyes fluttering open. He sat up in his bed and stretched, yawning a little bit as he did. Within minutes, Arthur was dressed in the usual black and white ensemble, his knee-high boots clacking softly against the floor as he went out onto the deck.

Inhaling deeply, Arthur gazed out upon the sunrise, taking in the reflection on the rippling ocean. God, he loved this. The breeze was just right, filling the mast, the strong scent of the sea, the gentle creaking of the deck…

Suddenly, Arthur was overcome by a pang of longing. No matter what, this ship would never be his true home. He could imagine the rain that he so loved, the way it pattered on the ground, and those beautiful English moors…

Arthur felt something wet roll down his cheek, only to realize he was crying. No, he wasn't going soft, he couldn't be! No one cared about him, no one except his crew!

_ You're lying to yourself, Arthur. A lot of nations care about you; that's part of the reason why they fear you and fight you. They don't want you to be an empire, they just want you to come home safe!_

The Briton shook his head. He knew that he was lying to himself, but he wanted this to last as long as it could.

"I'm not ready to give up my empire yet. Just a bit longer, so I'll remember what it's like later on in my life," Arthur whispered to himself as he crossed over to one side of the ship, leaning out a little. "I promise, I will come home eventually."


	9. The Spanish Raid

The Britannia Angel glided through the dark sea in the early morning, the sun having just risen in the clear sky. The wind was gentle, the snow-white sails billowing out in the air. The ship was bustling to life, men running to and fro with their tools and buckets of material.

Tori walked around the ship, inspecting the work being done. The decks were being mopped, breakfast was under way, no leaks to be found. Tori just had to go do the cataloging for the previous night's pillage.

After doing so, Tori called the crew to breakfast, where he saw the captain briefly. Captain Kirkland looked…troubled, like he had some sort of internal turmoil. He still had that clean, strong sort of aura about him, but his pale skin made him look more like a ghost than usual, and his eyes seemed unfocused. The rest of the crew sensed this as well, and they did their best to keep the atmosphere aboard the ship bright, as if trying to illuminate their captain's spirit again.

After breakfast the captain seemed to have vanished, and Tori could only guess he was in his cabin. It was probably best to leave him be for now…

Later in the early afternoon, Indy came up on deck with Robert, but stopped their conversation when they spotted the captain, who was standing by the side of the ship, having a conversation with something that wasn't there.

"Flying Mint Bunny, you have to tell me how things are at home…"

The two executive officers went back down below to avoid notice, the Sweet- Mother-what-did-I-just-see looks on their faces. Robert looked like he was uncertain as to whether to laugh or scream

"The captain's gone mad, hasn't he?"

"You think? I think he might be ill, he was really pale earlier…"

Some other crewmen joined in on the conversation. "I thought he was already a little crazy before…"

"He's talking to things that aren't there. A Flying Mint Bunny? That's ridiculous!"

"What if he really is ill? What should we do?"

"He's invincible! There's no way the captain is ill! It's probably just something we can't see because we aren't him!"

Thus, the crew worried and fussed about their captain while Arthur obliviously had a conversation with his little fluttering friend, cheering him up greatly. Below, the crew stopped arguing when they heard the captain laugh. It wasn't the laugh they were used to either; it was the kind of happy laugh that went along with rainbows and daisies.

The entire crew screamed in horror.

Arthur pulled his red coat on, fastening the buttons, and then his hat. They were nearing their destination, and he could feel the anticipation coursing through his veins. The ship glided into the port just as Arthur came out onto the deck. Out of the corner of his eye he saw…Antonio's flagship. How much better could this night get?

The Britannia Angel saddled up right next to Antonio's ship, whatever it was called, and Arthur ordered some of his men aboard.

"Find the rum!" Arthur shouted. "I don't think I've ever had Spanish rum, now that I think about it…"

The whole ship was searched, but alas, no rum was found. So instead, the crew just took all of the gold they could find aboard the ship, and planned on using it to buy rum later.

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was not expecting to see his ship get blown to pieces as he walked out of a shop. Nor was he expecting to get nearly run over by an English pirate carrying a torch, throwing it into the shop he was just in, lighting the building ablaze. Anger seized the Spaniard, and he ran into the nearest sword smith, which looked like it was being looted. Antonio punched one of the looters in the face, snatched up a sword, and slashed at another, killing one of Arthur's men.

He headed straight for the ship, and could see Arthur quite clearly, the Brit obviously enjoying himself as he slashed away at anyone who tried to board his precious ship. Antonio raced up the gangplank as quickly as he could, then jumped over a man and onto the ship's deck. Arthur turned quickly to face Antonio, who took a step back when seeing those green eyes. They were dark and menacing, glowing with what seemed like pure evil.

Antonio felt like something was trying to freeze his insides as Arthur advanced towards him. The Spaniard raised his sword and swung at Arthur, who simply deflected it with his own blade. Antonio swung again and again, but never managed to strike the Englishman. Finally, Arthur simply disarmed him, sending the Antonio's borrowed sword into the harbor, where it slowly sank to the bottom and came to rest.

"Why…?" Antonio gasped, out of breath from dueling. He looked up at the other man, that perfect face that harbored those glittering emerald eyes filled with anger and the insatiable desire for power. Arthur looked like some sort of avenging angel, the way his pale skin seemed to glow in the warm sunlight.

"Why?" Arthur repeated mockingly. "Because I can. That's all there is to it."

With that, Arthur kicked Antonio in the stomach, sending Antonio, who had backed up to the edge, straight into the water. Arthur gazed over the side as he watched Antonio come back up to the surface, then turned his attention back to the ship. All sorts of loot was coming aboard from what Arthur saw, everything from food, to weapons, to silver candle sticks, gold bullion.

Antonio climbed out of the water and onto a dock, some men helping him up and fussing over him. Someone kindly wrapped him in a blanket to ease the sting of cold. The brown-haired man looked out, watching as the ship sailed away, its crewmembers shouting and jeering as they fled the broken town. He then looked back towards the town, gazing at the flames that erupted from some of the buildings, seeing the broken glass windows, mangled bodies of men, the tear-streaked faces of some children, the despairing looks on women and shopkeepers.

The Spaniard looked away and out towards the waters again, watching the massive ship go. Somehow, Arthur Kirkland would have to go down.

The Britannia Angel's crew had broken out entire kegs of alcohol, getting drunk and being loud and merry. Some got so drunk, they forgot that Arthur was sitting in their presence, and they began to come up with some theories about him, per usual.

"He's a leprechaun!" Robert burst out, a half empty bottle of rum in one hand. "We're always lucky because of him! And his eyes are greeeeeeennnn."

"Nope! He's a-a woman!" Ryan announced. "He crosses his legs like a girl!"

Arthur looked down, only to realize that he DID cross his legs like a girl. He quickly uncrossed them so as to avoid further notice.

"No, you gits! He's obviously a talking unicorn! DUH!"

Arthur almost spit out his rum at that one.

"Captain, are you a unicorn or a leprechaun?"

"No, I'm not. But I know some unicorns and leprechauns," Arthur stated matter-of-factly. They were all drunk anyway, why not just mess with them some more?

"Oh, I know! The captain shoots rainbow beams from his eyebrows! I swear I saw it!"

Arthur DID spit out his rum on that one.


	10. Epic Battling!

The next day, Arthur awoke to the sound of Robert's panicked voice, and someone shaking him.

"What's going on…?"

"CAPTAIN! There's a whole fleet of ships coming at us, maybe a mile or two away! They've all got the jolly roger!"

Arthur suddenly realized what Robert was saying, and bolted upright. He practically jumped out of bed, and raced to get ready.

"Call orders to load the guns, all of them. Call the crew to arms, raise the Jolly Roger, and let me get dressed!"

Arthur pulled on just the usual black and white attire with the long, sleek black boots; there was no time to go all out. He got his sword and belt, his twin pistols, and a musket, then left the room as quickly as possible. Much to Arthur's relief, his orders had been carried out dutifully, and he could see the gleam in the eyes of all of his men. A chill went down Arthur's spine as he watched the ships get ever near.

"You know, Robert," Arthur said. "I really enjoy the scent of blood mingling with sea salt in the morning. It's refreshing."

"Aye, Captain, that it is!"

On the approaching ships, one man grinned when he saw the Jolly Roger rise on the Britannia Angel. "They've fallen into our trap," Richard Engel said. He was Tori's father.

"Indeed, sir. They think that we are pirates, and will engage us, but then we will arrest them and take the ship."

"Yes, and then they will all hang once we get back to dry land," Richard said sternly. "All of them!"

Arthur waited, his body relaxed. The ships were near, and his adrenaline was beginning to pump through him. He put his spyglass up to his eye, and gazed out.

"Oh, BLOODY HELL!"

The entire crew turned to gape at their captain's out burst. "They've tricked us! They're not pirates at all!"

"It's my father!" Tori exclaimed.

The ships were close enough now, close enough that it was necessary to fire. Arthur went down on his knees, dropping the spyglass, and pressed his hands against the floor of the deck. Energy rippled out and consumed the ship for a second, then vanished. Arthur stood back up, his shoulders relaxing. Couldn't have the ship blow apart, now could he?

"FIRE!"

The other ships did the same, firing at the Britannia Angel, only for the cannon balls to bounce off. Unfortunately, this could only last for about thirty hits, and Arthur knew that this wasn't going to be a short battle. One ship on each side of the Britannia Angel connected, and Arthur's men clashed with some others.

Indy had a sword in each hand, and slashed down every enemy man he saw. Robert was all out gunman, shooting left and right as splinters from the other ships went flying around from the cannon fire. Arthur took a cannon, and fired straight at some poor bloke's head, taking it clean off. Some men from the enemy ships witnessed this horrible little scene, and grimaced at Arthur's dark laughter.

Richard spied Arthur from the corner of his eye, and came at him. Arthur drew his sword when Richard did, and they clashed. Richard swung downward, Arthur deflecting with a parry. Richard then side stepped, nearly getting Arthur in the ribs as he did so. Arthur slashed towards the chest, but missed by a fraction of a centimeter.

Suddenly, Arthur felt himself backed up against the mast of his ship, his sword flying out of his hands and away, where he couldn't get to it. Tori's father put his own sword up to Arthur's throat.

"Father!" Tori screamed. He had a pistol in one hand and came running over, stopping a few feet away from Arthur and his father.

"My son," Richard said sternly. "Watch as I kill this little bastard pirate. Pirates are evil beings, especially this one, the captain of this ship!"

"Father, please, give him a chance!"

"No, Tori! He deserves to die!"

"He's not an evil man!"

"Yes, he is! All pirates are evil, Tori! All of them!"

"Not him, not Captain Kirkland. He's different from the rest!"

Richard turned away from his son in disgust, and brought the sword to Arthur's throat again. Tori realized that he had to make a choice.

He raised the pistol, and without batting an eye, shot his father in the back of the head.

The body fell over backwards with a thud, and Arthur could only look at Tori with disbelief in his eyes. Tori smiled despite himself, and somehow felt at peace inside.

"Thank you," Arthur said. He went to get his sword, and continue the battle.

The two ships connected to the Britannia Angel finally broke off after blowing to pieces, and began to sink. Unfortunately though, there were still multiple ships, and the Britannia Angel had started to take a little damage. Arthur hated it when his precious baby took damage.

So, Arthur did something he'd never done before. He did the same thing he normally did when blessing the ship, but instead, he was using the ship as a kind of vessel to communicate. The energy blast ran through the ship and into the sea, creating a kind of boom.

The battle suddenly halted entirely, the faux pirates all looking around bewilderedly. Everything was silent except for the sea, and weird noises coming from beneath the ocean's surface. One man screamed as he pointed at the thing that suddenly launched out of the water.

Arthur Kirkland had summoned the kraken.

The beast brought down one of its tentacles, snapping a ship in two. The other ships attempted to flee, brought it wrapped its tentacles around those, too, breaking and snapping them. Arthur could only smile.

That afternoon, the ship pulled into port. Arthur and Tori took care of the formalities involving the repair and restocking of the ship, then unloaded and sold all of the loot they'd amassed. Arthur then left the ship, still in his simple black and white outfit, sword at his hip, when he heard an awfully familiar voice.

"Oi, if it ain't mah wee brudda, the little bairn!"

Scottie Kirkland, otherwise known as Scotland, had finally found his youngest brother. It didn't help that William and Ian, or rather Wales and Ireland, were right behind him. Arthur groaned inwardly.

"Eff my life."


	11. Siblings and Back To The Present!

Arthur really DID NOT want to deal with his older siblings right then. Despite the rocky past they shared, he did love them…sort of…but he didn't want to put up with them. Not right now.

"Scottie, William, Ian. What do I owe this pleasure?" By this, Arthur really meant: "Oh God how did you know where I was going to be?"

Scottie glared at his younger brother a bit, eyebrows knitting together. The other two came up to stand on either side of the Scotsman, Ian looking like he was ready to restrain Scottie if he deemed so necessary.

"Arthur, you know we never wanted you to become a pirate. Don't tell me you're actually happy living this kind of life!" William stated somewhat fiercely, his facial expression starting to match his elder brother's.

"If I recall correctly, you were the ones who drove me to become this person that I am now! Always making me feel insignificant, treating me as if I wasn't your equal! Always telling me that I wasn't worthy of being a nation on mother's lands!"

Ian looked downright uncomfortable, and Scottie and William's gaze both became less intense. Arthur shook his head, and turned away from them, heading back to his ship. The repairs were done, and it looked like it was almost finished loading.

It wasn't until he felt arms around his torso did Arthur realize why his brother's had come. They weren't there to simply scold him; they were going to take him back with them!

"Let me go, dammit!"

"No," William hissed into his younger brother's ear. "You can't continue on with this!"

"LET GO!"

Arthur managed to twist out of his brother's grasp, and then shoved him away into the other two. He took off running, knowing that he had to get to the ship before his brothers caught up to him.

"ARTHUR!" Ian screeched out as he saw his brother board the Britannia Angel. "Come back!"

"No! I won't have you telling me what I am anymore! NOT EVER!"

The Briton turned to his crew as they got ready to hoist the anchor. "Hurry!" He turned back, and watched as Scottie started to try and board the ship. Quickly, he and Robert lifted it, and shoved it off of the ship. It landed in the water with a loud splash, and the three brothers watched as their youngest sibling sailed away.

-Back to the present-

"Wait a second, Iggy. Is that it? I thought you defeated the Spanish Armada! What happened to that Tori kid? You never even told me why he shot his dad! IGGY!"

Arthur huffed a little at Alfred, as he yanked up his skinny jeans, then poured himself some tea. "Do I have to tell you more, love? I've been talking for five hours straight."

Alfred got up off of the leather sofa in the living room of Arthur's house, and over to the kitchen, where Arthur was pouring himself tea. He lightly kissed his British boyfriend on the cheek as he got himself a glass of water.

"Well, at least tell me up to the Spanish Armada."

"That's going to take me five more hours!"

"You should have told me when I was little, so then you wouldn't have to tell so much now," Alfred said with a grin, earning a playful smack from the other nation.

"I didn't want you to get any ideas when you were little, then stuff happened, then I didn't really think about it until you brought it up."

They went back to the sofa together, Arthur curling up to Alfred.

"Arthur…I don't mean any offense or anything, but I'm glad you aren't like what you were. You know, the whole enjoying head shots thing."

Arthur smiled a little to himself. "That passed after some time. Although sometimes I'm still convinced that I'm still the world's number one nation. Besides you."

Alfred laughed a little, kissing the top of Arthur's head as he pulled him closer. "You don't have to tell me any more if you don't want to. I always wondered, and I find it pretty interesting."

"No, I'll tell the rest. I just need a little break before I keep going."

Alfred nodded, and simply sat there with Arthur next to him, when he realized that the Briton had fallen asleep on him. He kissed the top of Arthur's head again, and rested his head upon Arthur's.

"My pirate empire."


	12. ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hey guys! I must apologize for not updating in a while, but I have some stuff to say to keep you guys tied over until I can update!

First: I will keep bringing in more references as to Alfred and Arthur's relationship in the present.

Second: The story is FAR from over, just to let you know.

Third: There will be Vikings…and epic ness.

Fourth: WHO WANTS TO SEE THE KRAKEN AGAIN?

Fifth: I know Tori shooting his dad was weird, but I will explain that eventually…

Sixth: If you have an idea for a plot twist, hit me with it. I love plot twists.

Seventh: Arthur might just turn into the Britannia Angel…pretty.

Eighth: Cursed treasure anyone?

Ninth: Does anybody here like mermaids?

Tenth: Got any funny "legends" about the captain that the crew might have come up with? Want to have it featured? Let me know!

Eleventh: Arthur will eventually build up to have a fleet of ships! Do you have any ideas as to what to name some other ships? Let me know and I might use it eventually.

Twelfth: In order to give you guys the best reading experience, please give me feedback on all of the above. HAI!


	13. In Which More Crap Happens

Arthur awoke from his nap, sitting up on the couch. He could hear Alfred in the kitchen, making dinner. It smelled like Cajun food, probably jambalaya. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and stood up slowly, pulling up his jeans. The Briton walked into the kitchen and went over to Alfred, hugging him from behind.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Alfred said with a smile. "How you doing?"

"I'm good. Is dinner almost ready?"

"Aye Captain, dinner is almost ready!"

Arthur playfully smacked his boyfriend on his way to set the table. Alfred came over a minute later, and they sat down. A few moments passed, and Alfred spoke again.

"Do you know why that Tori kid shot his dad?"

Arthur looked up at him, and smiled a little. "He never told me why directly, but I think it was simply that Tori felt that he had become part of the crew. Despite his young age he fared very well, and was widely accepted among the crew."

"You accepted Tori, and your crew, as loyal as they were to you, quickly came to accept him as well," Alfred clarified.

"Pretty much. I suspect Tori didn't ever quite have that connection with his home life, and so he chose the stronger bond over what might have been more proper."

"Did the crew ever find out that you're the Britannia Angel?" Alfred asked.

"Well, I can't spoil it! Where was I last?"

"You had just left your brothers behind in the harbor."

"All right, now it went like this…"

"Well if it isn't the British brat! You don't seriously think you can challenge me, the King of Vikings, can you?"

The Britannia Angel was dead still in the waters, a Viking longboat just across from it. Arthur, however, was not in a good mood after the spat with his brothers, and he certainly did not feel like getting into a fight. No, there was only one way to defeat Matthias without doing any work and still make it satisfying.

Arthur went below deck, leaving the crew puzzled as to what the Hell he could possibly be doing this time. The Briton came up after a few moments, a satisfied smirk on his face. He strode over to the side of the ship where he could see Matthias clearly, the Danish nation holding an expectant look on his face.

"Hey, 'King of the Vikings'! I've got some news for you, chap! EAT SEA MONSTER, BASTARD!"

"What?"

Giant tentacles erupted from beneath the gentle waves, a roaring following it that seemed to have come straight from the depths of Hell itself. Arthur had never seen anyone's face look more priceless that Matthias'.

The Britannia Angel glided past the longboat, leaving behind a dying ship with an angry Dane cursing Arthur's name. Truth be told, Arthur's mood greatly improved after that.

That evening, Arthur stood out on deck, gazing up at the starry sky. He heard footsteps coming from behind, and turned to see Robert.

"You alright Captain?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, but I'm fine. I've been thinking of expanding into a fleet."

"Oh? Do you have any ship names yet?"

"Yes," Arthur said. "I want to call one of my ships Tinker Bell."

"That…wait, what?"

Robert soon found himself running below deck. "Okay, who the Hell broke the poor captain's mind?"

"Are you saying he wasn't already crazy?"

"Stop referring to him as a 'he'. The captain is obviously a woman."

"The captain isn't crazy, he's a fairy. DUH."

"Not only is he a fairy, he's a princess, making him a fairy princess."

"That sentence was redundant. And how is he a princess when he's a male?"

"Mate, we've already discussed this! The captain is clearly a woman, making him a princess!"

"How do you know the captain is a woman?"

"He crosses his legs like a girl!"

"Yes, but is that your only evidence?"

"…Yes."

"Then he clearly MUST be a woman!"

"That explains everything!"

And thus it was made law among the crew that Captain Kirkland was clearly a woman. This revelation also spurred the contest as to who could woo the captain without getting murdered.

Fifteen love notes and a glomping later, Arthur had to put his foot down and openly declared the fact that he was indeed a MALE. I know, I know, you're all disappointed; you're not the only ones!

A few days passed with no excitement, and the crew observed that the captain was already starting to go stir crazy again. Said Briton was sitting in his cabin, looking at a chart when Tori burst in.

"Captain? We're near a small island, and the only thing on it seems to be this old castle."

A castle? That sounded interesting…

"Tori, we're making port."


	14. And the Castle Shall Fall

"Robert, I'm taking a small party with me to that castle. Stay here with the rest of the crew and stay on guard. I doubt any other ships are going to show up, but I like to be careful," Arthur said as he left the ship. "Come on Tori, we need to catch up with the others."

Arthur led a party of nine men, most of them regular crewmen except for himself, Tori, and Indy. The castle wasn't far, but it was a steep walk up a winding path. The whole island was completely barren except for some shrub here and there. If it hadn't been for the small castle, Arthur would have thought the place to be a rather large rock.

"Why bother with this place?" Tori asked.

Indy grinned. "You never know where treasure lurks. The best kind of treasure is the kind you don't have to fight for. Besides, if we explore this place, you never know when we might need to use it as a storage place. Ah, here we are!"

They had stopped in front of the gate leading up to it. The gate was old and rusty, and when one of the crewmen pushed it, the whole thing fell over. Arthur walked right over it, the crew following suit. He paused in front of the main entrance, observing the lack of door. The Briton then proceeded, finding himself in a courtyard, his party behind him.

"Men, split up! Tori, you're with me." Tori followed Arthur into a corridor, and they vanished from the others' sight.

Indy took half of the men left, and the rest went to the right. After some time of walking down long, musty corridors, they found what appeared to be the throne room. It was old and dusty inside, the tapestries on the walls being faded and bare, their depictions impossible to make out. Following a long strip of faded red and gold carpet on the stone floor was a single throne, tarnished with age. On the stone wall behind it, there was an inscription:

_All who sit upon me are cursed._

"Well, that doesn't sound pleasant," Indy muttered. He looked down from the inscription, and gasped when he noticed one of the crewmen sitting upon the chair, grinning like a fool.

"Don't…!"

The whole building began to rumble and shake, and the poor man sitting upon the ancient throne spontaneously combusted. The ceiling caved in, taking out everything and everyone with it.

-Hetalia-

Arthur felt the building begin to shake violently, and watched in horror as the floor began to crack, along with the walls and ceiling. What the bloody Hell was going on?

Tori felt similarly to the captain, panic seizing him. The way out was blocked. He looked up at a particularly loud crack, only to see a massive piece of ceiling hurtling towards him. Everything went black.

-Hetalia-

Tori felt pain everywhere, throbbing throughout his whole body. He felt light like a feather, and his vision was hazy. Someone was carrying him. He looked up into the person's face, but it was a blur. But he saw what looked like big, snow white wings, and a glowing golden halo. The person was wearing soft white clothing, and Tori felt safe. If he was being held by an angel, then he had either died or been saved.

Tori's eyes began to close again. He'd figure out what happened…after he got a little rest.


	15. ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hey, guys, I'm a little strapped for ideas again, so…leave reviews to these, I need some approval

1. I just did more research on mermaids, so those may still be coming

2. Arthur may transform into the Britannia Angel again (probably for a battle scene, one on one type)

3. Curses? Anyone got insane ideas? Come on it's about time I had something bad happen to the crew!

4. The Flying Dutchman! Who likes that idea?

5. Haunted lighthouses?

6. Anyone want to contribute to the "legend" of the Britannia Angel? I want to try and make that a whole chapter at some point.

7. Chinese pirates, anyone?

8. Have any other ideas?


	16. The Vile Curse

All right guys…let's get this chapter started!

Tori felt light, as if he didn't exist at all, only air. Slowly though, he began to hear a melodic voice with a distinct, familiar accent, and weight returned to him. Searing pain that shot through his broken veins slowly faded, as muscles and skin and blood vessels knit back together by some magical, divine force. After what seemed like an eternity, Tori opened his silver eyes.

The first thing Tori saw was the expression of relief on Captain Kirkland's face, concern fading away. Tori realized he was lying on the deck, other crewmen hovering nearby as he came to. The young first mate suddenly realized something else as well.

"Britannia Angel?" He whispered, eyes wide as he looked at Arthur, who smiled a little.

"Guess you found me out," Arthur whispered back as he helped the teen sit up. "Don't go telling the crew, okay?"

"Why are you a pirate?" Tori asked, suddenly confused. Arthur smiled again.

"I'll tell you everything someday, I promise. Now, go to sleep, we're going to reach port by dawn."

Tori smiled a little, and closed his eyes as Arthur carried him to his bunk. The Briton soon headed back to the uppermost deck for a meeting with his executive officers.

"Sir," Robert said gravely. "Are the few that went on the party…? Are they really…gone?"

"Yes, they are. Out of what was two hundred men, we're now about one hundred and eighty," Arthur said. "Luckily, the next port is strictly a pirate port, I'm sure we can find some willing recruits there. That's your job, to get men onto this ship who are skilled enough and ready to take on anything and everything."

Arthur had a good point…since his men were going to experience what could be the worst.

Tori awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up abruptly. His eyes wandered in the darkness, and he could hear noise coming from just about everywhere. He stumbled out onto the deck, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Tori spotted Arthur and walked over to him, getting a grip on himself as he did so. Arthur turned to his first mate, eyes glittering devilishly. SOMEONE was in a good mood this morning.

"Look at that, Tori," Arthur said as he pointed at the island ahead of the ship. "The ultimate pirate port!"

"Where?"

"TORTUGA!" (Haha Pirates of the Carribean reference, I knew I would have to eventually!)

Tortuga had quite the reputation for being loud, filthy… and full of opportunities. So, it wasn't hard for Arthur's executives to get more members for the crew, not at all. But that's not the kind of opportunity I was talking about here…

"How much for those charts you have there?" Arthur asked the man sitting across from him, an old grizzly guy with a graying beard and a growing gut.

"Five doubloons," the man said, swaying a little from the alcohol. Arthur blanched. Five doubloons? Only FIVE? That wasn't much, not for charts that looked as promising as the ones the guy kept in his leather container!

"I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you ten," Arthur said as he exchanged charts for money. If he was going to cheat someone anyway, why not give that person at least a little more than for what they asked?

Arthur gripped the chart container tightly as he left the tavern, heading back for the ship. Some woman in a red dress approached him, flanked by several more, giggling. He brushed them off as he walked briskly past; their giggles and catcalls following him back all the way to the Britannia Angel.

When the ship was loaded and finally set sail at noon, Arthur couldn't help but feel excited as he unfurled the charts onto his open desk. Where could he take his crew this time?

"Where to, Captain?" Tori asked as he paused in the cabin's doorway, waiting for orders to tell the day's navigator. "Due northeast, take these to the man at the helm," Arthur said as he passed over a piece of parchment to Tori. "Hurry along now, adventure awaits!"

It was nearly dawn of the next day when the Britannia Angel sailed cleanly into the small little cove portrayed on Arthur's shiny new charts. And shiny it was; although there were no buildings, in the water the men could see gold of all kinds at the bottom, easily reachable by net. All that gold, just under the water's surface, and just for them to take!

As George and some others began to lower a net, Arthur came out to see what the commotion was about. He looked over the side along with the rest of the crew, curious. In a flash, though, his face turned pale. The entire crew realized that, like usual, the captain was seeing something they couldn't.

"Don't let the net touch the water! Haul it back up!" Arthur yelled. It was too late.

The "gold" that had lay glittering at the bottom of the cove vanished into wisps, like smoke. The water rumbled, the net disintegrating from the men's fingertips. The air became cold and frigid, and a voice seemed to rise straight out of the water.

_"For your greed, I curse you all…with eternal life and death…"_

Out of the water came a mermaid, her fin turning into legs as she climbed up the side of the ship. Her eyes were gray like a stormy sea, hair like wheat, skin pale as death.

_"The only way to be free of this curse is to do battle with another cursed ship…the Flying Dutchman!"_

"Captain…what's going on?" Tori asked. "Eternal life and death?"

All of the crewmen backed away as the mermaid woman approached Arthur, her gaze completely fixated upon him. Arthur did not move, or flinch when she ran her hand up his chest, taking in his un-decorated, yet still flattering basic black and white attire with almost a lustful desire in her eyes, as she looked him up and down.

_"And for you my dear, for trying to save your men at the last second from their greed…I will give you a curse that isn't as terrible. By day you shall sleep, paralyzed, only by night shall you awaken…and everyone's curse begins as soon as the sun rises. Destroy the Flying Dutchman if you want to be free…"_

The mermaid woman vanished just as the sun rose. The ship turned black, as did the sails. The majestic angel figurehead turned into an ugly gray gargoyle with a sneering face, the once outstretched arms now reaching as if to claw at a victim. Quickly, one by one the crew began to transform into walking undead. Their mentality never changed, but their appearance did.

Flesh would disappear, revealing bloody, grisly bones. Jagged, oozing scars would cover their bodies, eyes yellowing and turning bloody, teeth rotting, and hair falling out. The men, though not truly dead, looked as if they had all spent some time rotting away in coffins. What made it even worse was the fact that they couldn't feel it. Tori looked down at his body, mortified. One of his arms had no skin or muscle on it, yet he could still move it with ease. He felt his face, but withdrew his hand in disgust. So THIS was what the scary witch meant!

"CAPTAIN!" Robert bellowed, startling Tori from his reverie. He ran over to where a crowd of crewmen had gathered.

"What's happened?" Tori asked, but his mouth (or what was left of it) fell slack at the sight before him.

Arthur had collapsed upon the deck, eyes closed…and had turned to stone.


	17. The Vile Curse, Part 2

Arthur awoke with a start in his cabin, heart pounding. He felt like it had been ages since he last moved, and was a little groggy. Slowly he sat up, and then shakily lifted himself off of the floor. The first thing he noticed was the there was something different about the inside of his cabin. The long candles he kept were no longer made of white wax; they were now black, lit by green little flames. The desk was dark stone, no longer wood. The ornately carved chair was stone as well, a gargoyle attached to the back. Arthur stretched, working the kinks out of his back. He grabbed his sword and attached to the belt around his waist. He felt like he was going to see something disturbing when he opened those doors into the night air, but he didn't know what…

The Briton nearly screamed when he caught sight of his crew upon leaving the cabin. Walking skeletons, some of them unrecognizable they were so mangled. Nonetheless, they walked the deck as if normal humans, going about their work. Unfortunately, being the captain and the only person who didn't look like a dead guy quickly brought attention to Arthur, who was still in a state of shocked mortification.

"CAPTAIN!" Someone yelled as they ran over to him. Was that Tori?

"Is this the curse?" Arthur asked, barely keeping his panic from seeping into his voice. "Why has the whole ship turned black and twisted like this? What happened to me?"

Robert (or at least he thought it was Robert) approached them. Some of the other crewmen came to, listening in. "This is the curse, Captain," Robert said gravely. Arthur, again, barely kept himself from completely losing it and jumping overboard.

"You-You sort of turned to stone at dawn," Tori said sheepishly. His voice came out weird, disturbing Arthur even more. "And the sun just went down."

Arthur suddenly realized that he only had about twelve hours before he turned back, meaning that during the day the crew would have to sail without him. Not to mention they had to be wary of other ships, looking like zombies…

"We need to navigate of the point of Cape Hope," Arthur said. "The Flying Dutchman sails there, but only during storms."

"That's three days away," one of the men said. "We've been sailing in that general direction all day, with a fast wind. It calmed down a bit about an hour before sundown."

Arthur nodded slowly. "Well, everyone back to stations. We need to get there as soon as possible. The faster we find this ship, the faster we break free of the curse."

"AYE!"

Tori got Arthur off to the side. Arthur failed to keep a straight face this time though, only able to stare at Tori's face in horror.

"I look terrible, don't I?" Tori said, almost laughing. Arthur seriously was starting to want to scream and run into somebody's arms (preferably normal ones with no skin missing.) Hell, if the frog showed up right then, Arthur might have ran to him sobbing, that's how horrible and sick he felt inside.

"I'll say. Anyways, I need to tell you about the Flying Dutchman," Arthur said, his face becoming serious. "It is a legendary cursed ship, the crew only able to sail it during the night during storms or strong winds. Supposedly, the only way to defeat is to kill the captain, who is also supposedly a master of dueling."

"But if we fight them at night…"

"Then yes, I'll be the one dueling him. Now, why are there floating black candles all around the ship?"

"Oh, I guess those are just to keep it lit. You should see the ship during the day. We already scared the crap out of some French guy who was calling for you. Somehow he recognized the ship, and called out asking if you had gotten it a paint job."

Arthur's eyes widened with realization. Francis?

"Then what?"

"Well," Tori said. "At first we all hid so nobody on the French ship would see us, but when we realized it was the guy you didn't like, we all jumped out. His face was really funny, he kept screaming. He yelled at us too, thinking we'd done something to you, and then he somehow got onto the ship…"

Wait, Francis had been on the ship?

Tori continued on. "Well, then he found you, except you were a statue, and then he began to scream and said something about telling a guy named Antonio, and something about how even enemies didn't deserve getting turned to stone…  
>"And then he tried to stab Robert, because he thought it was the crew's fault for what happened to Arthur, so then we threw the French guy overboard, and he took off with his ship and crew, and they were taking off really fast…"<p>

Arthur was so freaking screwed, not that he blamed the crew in any way. But how was he supposed to explain to Francis that the whole crew had gotten cursed?

"My crew…the ship…this is my fault. I shouldn't have bought those charts," Arthur said with a sigh as he crossed his arms. "As soon as we break this curse, I'm throwing those overboard where no one else can find them."

"Please Captain, don't blame yourself! Anyways, who is that French guy anyways?"

Arthur sighed again, but smiled a little. "Come with me to the cabin, I might as well tell you everything…"

About three hours later, Tori sat across from Arthur, dumbfounded. "You're England. And the Britannia Angel."

"Yes, I am," Arthur said. "And if you're wondering why I'm telling you all this about the personified nations, it's because you already figured part of it out when I saved you, and I trust you enough, so I just though you deserved to know the rest."

"That-wow," Tori said. "How did you become the Britannia Angel though?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Arthur said. "I knew I could see the fae and other things associated with them, and that when it came to the occult, I was occasionally successful. The first time I turned into the Britannia Angel was on accident though, and I ended up spending an hour just trying to turn back. Then I found I could heal people, and grant wishes, and bring peace to those who needed it."

"But why the piracy? The empire? Are you ever going to return to England?"

"I know I can't be a pirate forever, and someday I may not even be an empire anymore either. I became a pirate because I just felt a need to get away from it all, to be…"

"A rebel?"

Arthur almost snorted at that. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I just wanted to be around people who could come to trust me, and that I could command some respect from SOMEONE in my life, seeing as how I never got much of that…"

"I think you need more than just some respect," Tori said. "I think you need someone to LOVE you."

Arthur almost choked on the rum he was drinking. "What?"

"Someday, you'll find someone," Tori said as he stood up.

"Aren't you a little young to be giving me love advice?"

Tori made no reply, leaving Arthur to watch his skeletal back as Tori returned to his duties. Arthur shook his head, and got up as well; he had to check on what the crew was doing.

Some were still working, others taking a break. Arthur looked over onto the horizon, suddenly realizing that the sun was going to come up soon. Had that much time already passed?

"I know you just got out here, Captain, but-"

"I already know, George, thank you. It'll be dawn soon," Arthur said grimly. "I at least want to see the sun before I go under."

Robert came over. "When we break this curse, captain, let's break out the booze like never before!"

Arthur laughed. "Yes, let's."

"Mmhhm, and we'll loot and raid and pillage and-Captain?"

Robert turned, seeing the glimmer of light signaling the sun. He glanced at Arthur, who was once again made of stone. With a sigh, Robert called over some of the crewmen, and they (carefully) took the statue back to the cabin. Then they cleaned off whatever had gotten on the captain from them, seeing as how their…conditions could make a bit of a mess.

This pattern went on for several days, the captain awakening as soon as the sun went down, and then turning back to stone at dawn. Finally though, they reached the area where the Flying Dutchman was supposed to be located. Right as a storm was about to hit, too, much to everyone's surprise (not that they minded).

Arthur, as he had for the past several days, awoke from his "sleep". He would first begin to hear what was going on, then feel himself slowly return to flesh and blood, the stone leeching away. This time though, Arthur managed to turn a little after his upper body had returned to normal, watching his legs, his boots, return back to flesh and blood, to leather, his tight trousers to cloth. It was both fascinating and frightening at the same time.

Like usual, Arthur came out on deck, this time fully armed and decorated, as if in a raid. He wasn't going to lose this fight, no matter what. Not to mention he was sick of his crew looking like the dead.

"Has the lookout found anything yet?" Arthur called out to nobody in particular. The water was starting to get choppy, and dark clouds were beginning to gather. Thunder rumbled in the far distance, and Arthur shivered a little, and not out of fear either.

"Ship ahoy! Captain, I think we've found it. To the port side!"

True to the lookout's words, there it was. The Flying Dutchman was an ethereal gray-white color, with torn sails. Seaweed and kelp seemed to be growing all over the ship, plastered to its pale-faced crewmen. The captain was pacing the ship nonstop as the Dutchman sailed against the wind.

"Load the cannons! Everyone to arms! Let's go, let's go!"

The crew scrambled to follow Captain Kirkland's orders, feet pounding the decks. The Britannia Angel sailed straight towards the Flying Dutchman, not attracting the attention of the other cursed ship until they were literally right next to it. The water got choppier, and it started to rain.

"FIRE!" Arthur cried out, not even bothering to give the other ship a chance to load their guns. Unfortunately, the cannon balls went straight through the Flying Dutchman as if it were mere smoke. Arthur jumped to the other ship with no warning, withdrawing his sword as he charged the other captain, who flashed out his own blade with surprising speed. Neither captain heard their crews in the background, nor the rumble of thunder, or the pounding of the rain and the thrashing, wild sea. Blades clashed, and the battle began.

First it was a jab, a thrust, take a step back, then parry, to the side, forward and thrust again. The storm raged on as the two clashed, the clanging metal of their blades drowned out by the thunder and the rain as it came down harder, drenching them and everyone else.

The other captain, who Arthur never even bothered to ask his name, didn't say a word or give any expression as he dueled with Arthur. His black eyes had no irises, like one giant pupil, and they were sunken.

He thrust forward, disarming Arthur and sending the swords flying, clattering upon the deck of the Britannia Angel. The storm was almost over, and the sun would soon come over the horizon. Arthur didn't have much time, maybe one minute.

One minute equals sixty seconds. Sixty…

The captain of the Dutchman pointed his sword at Arthur, eyes holding no emotion. This was just another duel to him.

Fifty…

Tori picked up Arthur's sword, and looked over to the Dutchman, eyes filled with despair.

Forty…

As soon as dawn hit, the Dutchman would disappear and Arthur would turn back to stone. How long would it be before they had this chance again, if ever?

Thirty…

Arthur could see his crewmen fighting desperately, yelling as they charged and clashed.

Twenty…

The Briton turned back to the Dutchman's captain, noticing what seemed to be gleeful mirth in the cursed man's eyes.

Ten…

The clouds had dissipated completely, the sea calming as the waves returned to normal.

Five…

Arthur suddenly felt the gun he had at his side.

Four…

He pulled it out of its holster, pulling back the safety as it slid out.

Three…

The Dutchman raised his sword.

Two…

Arthur pointed his gun, straight at the man's head. It was now or never; if he missed…

The sun was up. One…

Arthur pulled the trigger.

There was a flash of light, and Arthur heard the tormented screams of the cursed. He felt like all of reality was distorting, pulling at him. The light was blinding, and the screams and shrieks grew louder. There was a thunderous rumble, and the whole world seemed to shake. Arthur closed his eyes.

He opened them, to find the sky perfectly clear. He was lying on the deck of the Britannia Angel, the sails white and billowing. The wood was smooth and glistening, the figurehead restored to her angelic state. Someone helped Arthur up, and handed him his sword; it was George, who was very much human again, much to Arthur's relief. The Flying Dutchman was gone forever.

"We did it," Arthur gasped out.

"No, YOU did it, Captain."

"BRING OUT THE BOOZE!" Robert shrieked. He sounded like a schoolgirl.

"Come on, Tori, help me throw some charts overboard," Arthur said with a grin. Tori was all too willing to comply.

"Dude, Iggy, let's go rent a boat and look for cursed pirates now!"

"Alfred, it's ONE IN THE MORNING. Can we get some sleep first?"

"What about sex?"

"WE JUST DID THAT!"

"I was too distracted by your story telling. You're really good at telling stories, did you know that? Oh, yeah, so can we?"

"No."

"Then tell me some more," Alfred whined. "Sex or storytelling? I promise not to make you do both at the same time this time."

"I choose sleep."

"Sex it is, then!"

"Al-ALFRED!"


	18. When Past Meets Present

Arthur awoke the next morning, sunlight streaming through the window straight into his face. He rolled over…

…Only to see Alfred's grinning face.

"Morning sunshine."

"WAAAAHHHH!"

Alfred laughed, then got out of bed, going around to Arthur's side. He threw the covers off of the Brit, and then dragged him out of bed. "Come on, let's go sailing today! And you can tell me some more of what happened next!"

"Can I take a shower first?"

"Let's shower together!"

"GIT!"

Half an hour later Alfred sat on the freshly made bed drying his hair with a towel, while Arthur was in the bathroom yanking on a pair of black skinny jeans and a shirt. He came out, handing Alfred his glasses.

"Let's get breakfast and then we can rent a boat and go sailing." Arthur said with a smile.

"Aye aye, Captain Iggy!"

THWACK! "OWWW!"

"Haha."

"Iggy, I'm coming to get you."

"Ahaha ACK! Alfred, g-get away! AAAHHHHHHH."

Needless to say, they finally got down to the docks and rented a small sailboat, then setting sail. They let the boat take its course, sitting and admiring the view.

"Okay, what happened next? You broke the curse, right? Then what happened?" Alfred asked. Arthur smiled.

"Well, I-what the bloody Hell?"

"What?" Alfred said as he turned to see where Arthur was pointing. His mouth fell open slightly, eyes widening.

Headed straight for their boat was a massive ship, sailing the Jolly Roger. Alfred turned to look back towards they had came from. They weren't that far off of land, were they?

The American felt panic shoot through him; a fem moments ago he could still see land, even make out the dock they got the boat from. How did they get in the middle of the ocean?

"Alfred, that's my ship."

"What? Are you saying we time traveled?"

"Ship- I mean boat ahoy!" Someone called from the Britannia Angel. "Two passengers! And-CAPTAIN? How did you get down there?"

"I'm right here, you git!" Arthur said as he came up behind Robert. He went over to the side of the ship and looked down…

…Only to see himself and some other bloke with him.

"I want them up here immediately," Arthur ordered.

"Arthur," Alfred whispered in his boyfriend's ear. "What's going on?"

"Well, love," Arthur stated. "I think you're about to meet my crew."

I know it was a short chapter, but that just adds to the suspense of it all, especially because I wanted to end it with that sentence!


	19. AND YET ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!

All right, I'm giving you guys, the readers, a choice! Most of the rest of the story continues with modern Arthur and Alfred in charge of the pirate adventures while pirate Arthur disappears for whatever reason for a while, OR Arthur and Alfred soon return back to the present and pirate Arthur continues his adventures with the crew per usual. WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER?


	20. Let's Rescue The Past!

Okay, so in order to differentiate between Pirate Arthur and Modern Arthur, I'm going to refer to one as Captain Kirkland and the other as Arthur, just saying.

Tori hadn't been expecting to see two captains when he came up on deck, nor that other random guy either.

Before his past self could speak, Arthur cut in. "Would you care to explain WHY I'm in the 1500's? Because I'm sure as Hell that it was you who caused this, not me!"

Alfred almost laughed at Arthur's tone; he hadn't expected his boyfriend to be so condescending towards his past self. Not to Alfred's surprise, though, Captain Kirkland was unfazed by Arthur.

"I tried to summon the kraken to attack that French ship that was on the horizon, but one of my men bumped into me when the ship lurched, messing me up," the captain explained. "Who's this guy?"

"Alfred. That's all you need to know." Arthur said hastily before Alfred could even open his mouth. His past self was eyeing Arthur's modern clothing when the air resounded with the sound of cannon fire.

"Captain! It's the French! We're under attack!"

Alfred turned to look where the man was pointing, only to have Arthur yank him down to the deck as a cannon ball whizzed over his head. Unfortunately, he didn't really remember what happened after that…

-I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome-

Alfred awoke later with a pounding headache, Arthur helping him slowly to his feet. "What happened?"

"We got attacked, and my past self er, he kind of…got captured by the French. Right now the ship's in port to restock supplies."

"Who's in charge then?"

"Me, duh," Arthur said, earning a smile from Alfred. "Now come on, love, let's go see what charts I have in the cabin."

Alfred shut the doors behind him as they entered the cabin, and realized that it was much quieter inside than he'd expected. Arthur was peering intently at some old piece of parchment on the desk, an old-time navigational chart.

"I've found something that might help us," Arthur said. "According to this treasure chart, there's a lighthouse on the coast of Ireland with something in it that can supposedly help us, I think. At least, that's what the note attached to it implies, that there's something useful there."

"That's awesome!" Alfred said excitedly. "No way, Iggy, we're going on a pirate adventure. I've always wanted to see what you were like as a badass!"

Before Arthur could shoot a retort back, there was a knocking at the cabin's doors. Arthur opened them, only to see Tori on the other side.

"We're ready to sail on your call, Captain."

"Set sail, then, and show this to the navigator," Arthur said to Tori, handing him the chart. Tori smiled, and ran off to do as told. Arthur felt a pang; it had been a long time since he'd seen that smile.

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Alfred's voice. "Arthur, babe, you've got to try this on!"

Arthur turned, only to see Alfred holding an armful of clothing, and grinning like a fool. "Oh, no, Alfred," Arthur said. "That would be stealing!"

"Okay first of all, it's not stealing when it's yourself we're talking about. Second of all, what happened to you being a pirate?"

"What happened to you being a hero?" Arthur asked. "I didn't expect heroes to encourage piracy."

"Well, these are different circumstances, so it's totally okay! Now, put these on!"

"Gah! You git don't FORCE them onto me-augh!"

About twenty minutes later, Arthur practically stumbled out of his cabin, looking like his pirate self. He turned to Alfred, who was STILL smiling like an idiot. "Okay love, here's the deal. No matter what, we can't be touchy feely about anything. Until we get my other self back and return to the present, I'm commanding the ship, so don't act all surprised if I'm a lot colder and harsher than normal. Not to mention that somewhere in all of this, people are probably going to die."

"Aye aye, Captain Kirkland!"

SMACK!

"Hey, Tori, is it just me, or did the future Captain just smack that one bloke with the funny accent?"

"Yeah, he hit him. Although I don't quite understand why that guy's laughing, but who knows…"

George came over to Arthur. "When we got supplies for the crew, we got clothes for…er…"

"I'm Alfred."

"Really? I have a cousin named Alfred, he's a sweet little chap. I'll be right back with those, mate."

"This is so cool," Alfred said. "As soon as that guy comes back, let's go explore the whole ship!"

"Oh, Captain!" Tori said, running up to them. "Here's your sword and pistols. They fell off the um, captain of now, I guess, however you want to call him…"

Arthur took the weapons from Tori gratefully, knowing he'd probably need them later.

"Oh, so you're Tori! That's so cool! Iggy- I mean Captain Kirkland here has told me so-OW! That hurt dude, don't go elbowing heroes like that!"

Tori looked rather amused, as did other crew members who were working on the deck. George handed Alfred his clothes, and whispered, "Keep making him mad like that, and he'll shoot you, lad."

Yeah, too bad George was unaware that Iggy- I mean Arthur, wasn't as battle-hardened as he used to be. Or at least that's what Alfred thought…

-I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome-

It took a few days, but they finally arrived to the deserted port off the coast of Ireland, in a small town called Port Prosperity. Arthur could see quite plainly from the deck of the ship that the small town had failed to live up to its name; the buildings were in ruins and there wasn't a living soul in sight. Despite the creepy feeling the place was giving him, the Briton really, REALLY needed to get off the ship after listening to Alfred blabber about how awesome the ship was for ten days straight, running to and fro and chattering away at the crew like no tomorrow. At least the American hadn't said anything about the future to the others on board.

"Is that the lighthouse? That old crumbling thing right there?" Alfred asked, pointing at a tall building upon the Cliffside.

"It has to be," Arthur replied. "Now let's go find whatever the bloody Hell is inside."

Arthur told his men to wait behind at the ship, as there was no point in having a lot of people come along; just him and Alfred would be fine. Alfred tried to push the door to the lighthouse open, but it fell inwards with just a gentle touch. Convenient, but also a bad sign, as it showed that the building was so old it was falling apart.

There were winding stairs inside, leading all the way up to the top where the light was supposed to be. Neither man could tell if there was anything else up there as well, but the pair started the ascending climb anyways.

The stairs creaked and groaned under the weight, and Alfred knew both he and Arthur were at normal weights for their heights. The stairway just had to be old, that's why it was creaking.

"My God, it's dusty in here," Arthur commented as they walked. "And that spider looks like it belongs in Australia, it's so massive."

Alfred chuckled at the commentary. Suddenly, he heard a snap, and turned around just in time to see Arthur's shocked face fall through the floor of the stairs.

"ARTHUR!"

That was when Alfred saw that Arthur had managed to reach up and grip the next step; his fingertips were the only thing holding on to the stair, and they were slipping. Not wasting any time, Alfred grabbed Arthur's arm, and pulled him up and safely onto the next step.

"I-I'm all right," Arthur said. "Thank you."

"Don't scare me like that," Alfred said as he kissed Arthur's forehead. "Now we just need to get to the top. I don't think we're too much farther."

Alfred turned out to be correct in that assumption, as he and Arthur soon reached the top. Unfortunately, there was nothing really up there except the broken light. Arthur looked crestfallen, when Alfred pointed out something in the corner.

It was an old iron chest, and Alfred had to pry it open because it was rusted shut from age and exposure. The hinges of the chest snapped, the entire lid popping off. Arthur peered inside, and pulled out the object that lay within the torn and stained silk lining.

"Is that what I think that is?" Alfred asked.

"Yeah, and there's something in it," Arthur said. He was holding a human skull, and was trying to pry out the object wedged inside. After a few moments of tugging, Arthur pulled out a folded up piece of parchment. He unfolded it, only to reveal it was blank. Suddenly, print began to appear on the page, transforming into a map. It began to show a coastal portion of France, and a town. Then on a tiny dot, there was a caption that read "Captain Arthur Kirkland."

"Dude, Iggy, we found an enchanted map! And it shows the person we're trying to find!"

A booming voice interrupted Alfred's outburst.

"WHO DARES ENTER THIS PLACE? HOW DARE YOU STEAL WHAT'S MINE!"

The entire place began to shake, and the two nearly fell trying to get to the stairs. They ran, everything crashing down around the two, even the stairs. Alfred felt like he was running on air. There was a ghostly wailing and shrieking, as if someone was right behind them and all around them at the same time as the lighthouse thundered. Debris and dust came cascading down, narrowly missing both the Englishman and the American as they attempted to flee the building.

Finally, they got out just as the entire lighthouse came smashing down, yet when Alfred looked over, Arthur was grinning.

"Exciting, huh love?"

"HELL YEAH!"

-I am awesome I am awesome oh look a chicken-

After sailing for another week of Alfred's ship-athon, they Britannia Angel finally reached port in France, in a bustling place called Port Frog. (Well, that's what Arthur called it.)

"Okay, so this map here says he's in this little section of town…it looks like some little inn," Alfred said.

"Why would Francis take me to an inn?" Arthur asked.

After Alfred gave him the srsly dude face for a few moments, Arthur figured it out.

"OH GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!"

Alfred face-palmed. "Let's just try to get there as quickly as possible," Arthur said.

"No, it has to be just me," Alfred said. "If Francis sees you, he'll want to know why there's more than one Arthur. We can't create some type of time paradox, at least not more than we already have, and Francis has never seen me before."

"Well, I need to do something!" Arthur countered.

Alfred picked up the map. "The inn is about five minutes away. In fifteen minutes, after I get to the inn and take a scope of it, I want you to get the crew to launch an attack on the town to get Francis out. In the confusion, I can rescue your past self and we'll get out of here."

He kissed Arthur quickly and was gone. Luckily, none of the crew saw that.

-I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome Yeah we get it-

Captain Arthur Kirkland was not enjoying the fact that the not only was the frog in a bedroom with him, but the damn wanker was also on top of him. You know, trying to get the smaller of the two to take off his clothes.

"Get off," Arthur hissed angrily as Francis pinned his arms with one hand, using the other to reach for his shirt.

"But Angleterre," Francis said, feigning hurt. "I just want to get to know you better oui?"

"No!"

"Ooohhh, that fiery spirit of yours gives me the chills, mon cher. Too bad I'm probably going end up having to share you with Antonio, c'est vrai."

Outside the door, Alfred stood poised, waiting for the cannons to sound. He didn't like what he was hearing, and he wanted to get Arthur's pirate self out of there as soon as possible.

Francis leaned downward to kiss the struggling Brit when he heard something loud go off, followed by screaming. "Quoi?"

He heard it again, then again, followed by more screams and the sounds of pounding feet. Francis released Arthur for a brief second, but snatched him up again as he prepared to leave the room.

"I know those cannons," Arthur said with a satisfied smirk. Francis tightened his grip on the other, anger starting to flood through him.

The Frenchman yanked the door, only to get punched in the face and knocked out by Alfred. Captain Kirkland stared at him.

"You're that one bloke…"

"Yeah I know, come on!"

Alfred wished suddenly that cell phones had been invented back then, so he could call Arthur and tell him to stop the barrage so they could get back to the ship without having to avoid falling debris all over the place.

They finally made it back to the Britannia Angel, and Captain Kirkland resumed command immediately.

"You need to go home, right? Too bad I didn't actually get to know you," past said to present. Arthur couldn't help but smile at his past self.

"You'll get to who I am, trust me. Oh hey, that medallion you're wearing. Be careful with that, I lost it in a fight," Arthur said.

Captain looked down at the gold medallion around his neck. There was a dragon carved onto it, emeralds studding the eyes and scales. The pirate removed it from his neck, and then put it around Arthur's.

"There, now I've never lost it," Captain Kirkland said with a smile. There was a flash of light, and Alfred and Arthur returned to the present…

…And then Arthur woke up in bed. He sat up in disbelief. Had that whole ordeal truly been a dream?

He looked over at his phone, which had the date and time on it. It said it was eleven thirty, on the day before he and Alfred had gone sailing. So it really had been all a dream…

Arthur lay back when he felt something on his chest, a chain around his neck. He lifted it, bewildered at the little thing dangling in his face. It was the dragon medallion he had lost so long ago, emeralds twinkling in the moonlight.


	21. Chinese Pirates & The Traitor's Return

The first thing Alfred noticed when he woke up the next morning was that Arthur wasn't lying next to him in bed. He got up slowly and stretched, listening to the faint sounds of kitchen cupboards being opened; Arthur was making tea.

Arthur heard the slight creak of the stairs as Alfred came down, and looked over from steeping his tea. "It's about time you got up, love. What do you want to do today?"

"Well, I want to hear what happened next in the life of a certain pirate," Alfred said with a grin as he kissed Arthur. "I'll make breakfast. So, what happened next?"

-I am awesome I am awesome I am awesome kolkolkol-

"Captain! Floating town ahoy!"

A floating town? How was THAT even conceivable? Arthur ran over to the side of the ship where one of his men was pointing, and blanched. The man was right; not only was it a town, it seemed to be a floating…CHINA TOWN?

Yao Wang observed the massive ship coming towards his own ship, er, CHINA TOWN. Undoubtedly, it had to belong to the Englishman, this massive "Britannia Angel" grand frigate that the Asian nation had heard so many rumors about.

"Aiyaah…it IS a rather large ship…I know we can take them on though," Yao said.

Back on the Britannia Angel, Arthur was thinking pretty much the same thing as Yao. Except that he saw the Chinese ship-town thing to be more of, ah…target practice. The floating town would be perfect for a raid, and then finished off with some nice cannon fire. Arthur liked the sound of cannon fire; it jolted his nerves a bit.

"Load all cannons on the port side! Raise the Jolly Rog-oh, it's already raised. Arm yourselves, mates!"

The Britannia Angel seemed to roar to life as she prepared for battle. On Arthur's command, the ship turned towards the Chinese. On the lower decks, Tori urged the men to hurry.

"Shove those balls in like you mean it! Oh wait that sounded so wrong…"

As the two ships just began to parallel each other, the firing started. Arthur grabbed a loaded cannon, and aimed it straight at Yao, laughing the whole time.

"WHO THE HELL IS THAT SADISTIC, ARU?"

Arthur was, duh.

Yao pulled out his wok, mentally steeling himself to face Arthur, who had jumped over onto his ship-I mean China Town, sorry. Come on man, which is it? IS IT A SHIP OR A CHINA TOWN, ARU?

On his way to Yao, Arthur stabbed three people, shot four in the head, missed one but still got the bloke in the neck, slit some other poor bastard's throat, hit someone with an empty rum bottle after drinking from it, had his hat blown off with a bullet, slashed two others to pieces, and was nearly groped. Oh, and he also kicked some wanker where the sun doesn't shine.

Yao swung the wok straight for Arthur's face, the Briton blocking the blow with his sword. Then the wok was used as a shield when Arthur ditched the sword and began shooting at him, the bullets ricocheting and hitting other people. That was when Arthur noticed an odd cat face painted onto the outer part of the wok, and he wondered whether or not to say something. (SHINATTY-CHAN!)

Yao swung again, nearly hitting Arthur, right when Tori tried to do what so many others of the crew had done; successfully jump from one ship to the other. Luckily, he made it without falling into the ocean…

But then he landed straight on top of Yao, taking out the Chinese nation. The BA's entire crew began to applaud his efforts while stealing food from the ship-town-thing, which from now on I'm calling the .

After the ship blew up, the crew of the BA sailed on and lived happily ever after. THE END.

-I can't sleep I can't sleep I can't sleep-

"Okay Iggy, seriously? How the Hell does anyone get a China Town onto a ship?"

"I don't know love, it wasn't exactly my idea."

"Okay, well, there's no way that's the end, is it? What about the Spanish armada? Is that what happened next?"

Arthur sighed a little. "There's a bit more to the story before we get to the Spanish armada, love, some things a bit more serious than the little ordeal with Yao. Do you remember the mermaid I told you about, the one that cursed my crew?"

"Yeah, why?" Alfred asked, his interest sparking back up.

"Well as it turns out, she was angry that we actually managed to break the curse she placed upon us, so she brought back a man I never thought I'd have to deal with again, and she gave him a crew of skeletons to defeat me."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you in a second!"

-I still can't sleep -

Arthur lay in bed that evening in his cabin, feeling oddly anxious about something, like something bad was going to happen soon. He rolled over, wondering if anyone else ever went through the weird events he experienced with his crew. A sudden wave of loneliness came over him as he remembered his status as a nation. No, not just a nation, but an empire, one to be reckoned with. Although he was starting to wonder if it was better to be feared than to be loved…

After drifting in and out of sleep, Arthur got out of bed, dressing himself in plain tight black pants and a white shirt. After flinging the bed covers back to a somewhat tidy position, he sat at his desk, poring over his charts. As he looked over them, a few newer but most of them old, Arthur just wasn't feeling it, that sense to GO somewhere. Arthur felt like he was starting to live an empty existence on the ship, yet he didn't want to just give it up, not yet. But why did he feel so…incomplete? The yearning for home, for England overwhelmed him, and there was a pain in his chest.

He COULD go home if he wanted to, right then and there. He could have the whole crew pardoned for piracy, get them normal lives with normal jobs and housing where they could spend their days comfortably and settle down, maybe even raise families and leave the wild life behind. As for the Britannia Angel, the ship would become part of the country's fleet, and probably as the crown jewel of the lot. And Arthur would stay by the queen's side, and would have to give up the wild life of freedom and slaying and drinking excessively that he so loved. He would have to GROW UP, basically.

Arthur shuddered a little at the thought of being a stuffy old gentleman in the future. He just hoped that if he did get to that point, someone would snap him out of it. (Alfred has seemed to accomplish that, don't worry!)

Someday, Francis and Antonio might even be his friends instead of his worst enemies. Someday, he and his brothers might even become close. And someday, he might even fall in love with someone, another nation.

Arthur sighed and leaned back in the heavy chair, thoughts whirling. He was ready to discard this lifestyle and move on, but yet he wasn't ready to grow up and do things "properly". How would he know which one to pick? Maybe he could wait just a little longer. Just a few more glorious adventures with his amazing ship and crew.

Arthur had nearly drifted to sleep in the chair at his deck when there was a pounding at his door.

"Captain! CAPTAIN KIRKLAND! We've got an emergency!"

Arthur's eyes snapped open, and he got up quickly from his seat. "Give me just a moment lad, I'm coming!" The Brit snatched up a red and black coat, throwing it on. After buckling his beloved sword and pulling on shiny black boots, he was outside on the deck in the brisk early morning air.

That was when he heard the melodic, eerie singing. The entire crew was awake and alert now, hearing the strange, unintelligible words, singing that was almost like a chant. The voice sounded oddly like the mermaid that had cursed them…yes it had to be her. In the distance there was a rumble, disrupting the ocean's waves. A kelp and seaweed-covered ship rose from the depths, and started to head towards the Britannia Angel. Although the ship was a ways off, it moved rather quickly, and Arthur wasn't about to waste any time.

"Quick, load the guns and arm yourselves men! Get moving you lot!"

As the ship approached, Arthur was able to get a better look at it. Skeletons swarmed the deck like ants, yet one living figure stood out among the rest, someone Arthur had never expected to see again…

James Ambrose.

"Well, if it isn't Captain Arthur Kirkland, my old mate! I have news for you, 'Captain'. My ship here has five hundred skeletons on it, over twice the number of your crew!"

"How the Hell are you even alive, you bastard?" Robert yelled.

"A certain mermaid was angry that you actually managed to break a certain curse, which she was certain you would never manage to overcome. So she brought me back and gave me this crew so I could gain my proper place…and my revenge."

The ships were now facing each other, The Britannia Angel's port side facing the starboard side of the opposing ship. Arthur didn't waste the chance he was given. He was outnumbered, but definitely not outgunned!

"FIRE!"

James cursed as the round, metal projectiles smashed through his ship. "Attack! KILL THEM!"

James waited for Arthur to jump over to his ship eagerly. The sounds of the dueling crews and the ringing of constant cannon fire was drowned out by the anticipation he felt as he saw Arthur approach, sword drawn. James raised his own sword, over his head, and swung downward in an arc towards Arthur. The clash had begun.

Now, I'll have you know that Arthur had been the one to teach James how to wield a sword. Unfortunately, this proved to be a bit of a disadvantage when they were swinging their swords at each other in a frenzy, metal clanging and scraping against each other, one man dancing around the other in a desperate attempt to get a successful blow in.

Both pirates swung at the same time, accidentally disarming each other. Both blades went flying, clattering onto the Britannia Angels deck, too far to run to.

James was suddenly aware of the cannon fire going on; it was positively deafening, yet he had been so caught up in his duel he hadn't paid any mind to it.

"Hey, git!"

James looked over to see a teenage boy aiming a cannon at him. "Eat this, jerk!"

Arthur jumped out of the way just in time as he watched James get hit by the cannonball, his body getting carried with the impact into the sea, where this time he would hopefully stay.

The cannon fire suddenly stopped as the skeletal crew all began to disappear with their enchanted captain. The cursed ship beneath Arthur began to creak and groan, and the Britannia Angel's entire crew watched their captain plummet straight into the sea with it.

_Author's Note: I tried to make the first part funnier with the Chinese due to the lack of humor in the time travel chapter, which I have found to have displeased many people from the messages I have been getting. I hope you found this chapter enjoyable. I know I had fun writing it._


	22. Confessions

"No! Captain!" Tori yelled as the British man vanished beneath the waves with the other ship. "Captain Kirkland!"

The Britannia Angel's captain didn't appear, and Tori, like many of the other men, was starting to panic. "ARTHUR!"

That was when the blonde head they were searching for broke the surface, the man gasping for air. Arthur had gotten caught up in some of the wood when it had snapped back apart.

Robert threw a rope down to him, pulling him up. Arthur stumbled onto the deck, knees weak. If one of his men hadn't caught him, he surely would have collapsed entirely.

As a few men helped Arthur back to the cabin, Tori realized that his captain was no longer the same man. It was like Arthur had softened somehow over time, on the verge of something else, but never would be entirely. He looked out upon the sky, feeling as though nothing would ever truly be the same again.

-Cue Pirates theme here-

Captain Kirkland wasn't the same over the next several weeks. He was just…out of it. The liveliness in his eyes was gone, he barely ate properly, and he walked the deck like a zombie when he wasn't hiding in the cabin.

The pillages and raids went on like normal, but the excitement and anticipation of a good fight was gone. It was hard to get into the swing of it all when the fire in the captain's eyes was gone.

That was how the weeks passed, the crew silently hoping their captain would snap out of whatever was plaguing him. The grow anxiety that resulted from the captain's odd mood vanished one day though, when Captain Kirkland came out on deck suddenly, the gleam in his eyes returning. As he showed the navigator a chart, pointing out the desired destination, the crew watched on as Arthur's face broke into an evil, cruel smile. The crew knew that whenever the captain had such a look on his face, something interesting would result.

It took a few more weeks to reach their destination, Spain, but Arthur didn't return to his odd depression. Every attack between the Britannia Angel and their destination was like taking a drug, Arthur getting some sort of natural high off of it, then only wanting more. When asked about what he wanted to do in Spain, the captain's reply was a bit…off, so to speak.

"Oh, I just want to pull a bit of a prank, that's all. I want to rub something into an enemy's face…that he can't possibly ever control me, so I'm going to take something of his right from underneath his stupid face."

-Like OHMYGAWD Liet-

The Britannia Angel sailed smoothly into Barcelona's harbor, earning plenty of jealous looks from all the other wannabe pirates in port who were pretending to be merchants. (You mad, bro?)

Meanwhile, Antonio walked through the doorway cheerfully, a basket of tomatoes in his arms. "Lovi! Boss is back!"

A small child emerged from another part of the house, a scowl on his face. "Oh, it's you, bastard."

"Lovi, don't talk to boss like that! You're too cute to be saying such things like that!"

Antonio set the basket on the table, walking over to the tiny Italian, lifting him into his arms. After a moment of protesting, Lovino eventually let the man hold him in that caring, parental sort of way.

The Spanish man wished he could stay like this forever, in a moment like this when everything was quiet and peaceful, everyone content. Unfortunately, a certain Englishman had other plans.

Everything happened so quickly, even years later Antonio still couldn't recount exactly what had had occurred. All at once the front door was ripped from its hinges and kicked down, the windows smashed until shattering completely, yells slicing through the air, mixing with Lovino's terrified screams.

Antonio was overwhelmed as he felt Lovino ripped out of his arms, the child's eyes wide with fear. Rage overtook the Spaniard, yet he was unable to do anything by the arms holding him back. The last thing he saw before blacking out entirely was the image of Arthur Kirkland carrying away his Lovino, very much like the way Antonio personally had liked to hold him.

-Marry me marry me marry me-

Lovino kicked and screamed until he wore himself out, but the firm yet gentle iron grip of the British nation did not weaken. Eventually Lovino fell asleep, exhausted. And this time he wasn't so sure the bastard would come and rescue him like he did when the creepy Ottoman Empire had tried to take him away.

-Well that was short-

Arthur stood upon the bow of the ship, anticipating an attack from his enemy. Lovino was abnormally silent, probably due to the intense gaze Arthur had given him earlier, combined with the fact that the man also carried two guns and a sword. The whole ship seemed to quiver with that same anticipation, ready to spring to life the minute a Spanish ship appeared.

It wasn't long before Arthur got his wish for battle; a Spanish grand frigate came sailing straight through the morning mist enveloping the sea, shooting like an arrow towards the Britannia Angel. Arthur could see Antonio's bruised, angered face through his spyglass, a look the Brit was sure to remember for a long time. The Englishman wanted to have a little fun, and what was more fun than tormenting your enemy with the person he cared about most? Well, there was one thing; have YOU ever kicked France in the balls? It's Arthur's favorite pastime.

"Give him back, you bastard!"

"Oh, you want him back, do you?" Arthur taunted. Lovino stiffened as the British man took him into his arms, that cruel smile playing on his lips. The two ships were now at a dead stop across from each other, where Antonio could clearly see Arthur and Lovino. What really made that scene perfect was the fact that the entire crew stood behind Arthur with very similar smiles to Arthur's own, the mist curling around the ships eerily in the early morning.

"You know, Antonio, I think I might like the southern part of Italy. He might make a great British territory. I might get a lot of use out of him, hmm?"

"Give. Him. BACK."

"No."

"I swear to God, Arthur, I will blast your ship…!"

"Well, it's true I'm more fond of my ship than I am of this kid…"

"DON'T TREAT LOVI LIKE TRASH!"

"And you DON'T BE SUCH A SOFTIE."

"I think you're just too afraid to feel anything other than anger. I think you're afraid to find out what love is, Arthur."

Anger flared in Arthur's heart. He didn't need love, nor Antonio's pity. "If you want him back so badly, take him!"

With that, Arthur threw a screaming Lovino over the side of the ship and into the sea.

-Trololololololol-

"Wait a second, IGGY! Throwing kids overboard is so NOT HEROIC!"

"Alfred, dear, I was a PIRATE. Pirates are BAD people, the villains. I hated everything and everyone (well sorta), and I did terrible things. But the past is the past, and Antonio and I are friends now, and Lovino (although begrudgingly) forgave me."

"Well yeah, but…I just can't imagine you being so…cold. With me, you were never like that. Arthur, I swear sometimes you're like the sun itself, but when I hear you talk about the way you fought, it's like you were some sort of glacier or something."

"Are you seriously comparing me to fire and ice?"

"Arthur," Alfred said, eyes serious "What I'm trying to say is that I don't see how you went from one type of person to the other. How did you go from cold, unforgiving, running around shooting up every ship you saw into someone who is sometimes a gentleman, is really sensitive, and really cares about doing his duty as a nation?"

"Well, I'm not going to go into details, it was pretty much like any other fight; cannons fired all over the place, people got killed, my ship was undamaged, I won, and Antonio managed to escape with Lovino."

"So that's it then," Alfred said. "It was just another fight."

"I'm not quite done with the story yet, Alfred. Just listen to what happened next."

-OHMYGAWD-

Arthur stood out on the deck, and took in a deep breath. He'd pondered what he's been thinking about for weeks, his decision fueled by Antonio's words. The entire crew stood on deck waiting for him to say something. The silence was unnerving.

"I have something I need to say," Arthur said. "I'm happy I could meet all of you, work with you. I consider all of you as friends. But my time of piracy is over; we all have to move on. I can get all of you normal lives; maybe settle down, raise a family."

Looks of confusion flooded the entire crew. Arthur stopped them with a motion of his hand. "It's time that we all go home," he said. "But first, I have to tell all of you…the truth."

-OHMYGAWD-

"Arthur, you just spilled everything? That you're a nation, that…Oh, Arthur, you gave it up JUST LIKE THAT?"

Arthur nodded as he poured himself some tea. "And then we all went home. As promised, I got all of them normal lives. I consider all of them to be close friends, all two hundred and three of them."

"But they're dead-"

"Alfred, death doesn't stop friendship. Even you know this, surely."

Alfred smiled as he got up from the loveseat, and pulled Arthur into an embrace. "You didn't even get to go out with a bang, though. There wasn't any epic final battle, like in the movies."

Arthur pulled away and looked Alfred straight in the eye. "I DID get my final battle of glory, though. It was one of the greatest nights of my life, my last day of piracy."

Alfred's eyebrows furrowed. "But you said that fight with Antonio was just like any other fight?"

"No, Alfred, not that fight. My final fight was against the Spanish, but it was definitely wasn't the fight over Lovino to rile up Antonio."

"What was it then?"

There was a moment of silence, then Arthur smiled a little at the memory.

"The battle against the Spanish Armada."

_Author's Note: Hey guys, only two chapters left! My goal is to get to one hundred reviews before I close up this baby, so spread the word!_


	23. Penultimate: VS The Spanish Armada

_Author's Note: This isn't the last chapter, after this is the epilogue. Enjoy! _

"Arthur! Arthur, where are you?" Queen Elizabeth cried as she ran down the corridor (it was more like walking quickly- running is un-lady like, after all.)

"Your Majesty," Arthur said as he looked up from some papers in his hand as she came around the corner. "What has you so distraught?"

Elizabeth stopped, took in a deep breath, and looked Arthur straight in the eye. She took his face in her eyes, and smiled endearingly. "My dear nation," she began.

"I need you to be a pirate, one last time."

"Elizabeth-"

"Arthur, even you know there's a chance we could lose to the Spanish. I can't have that happening. I need YOU to sail on those seas, with YOUR ship as the head of the fleet, and YOUR crew. If you lead the fleet, we will triumph over our enemies. Now, go on and get ready. There isn't much time left."

Arthur felt something inside of him re-ignite, something he'd thought for sure he had left behind forever. It's funny how sometimes your past catches up with you, isn't it?

-Here We Go Again-

Arthur knocked on the door of a small cottage by the seaside, waiting patiently for the desired person to answer. After a few brief moments, Tori opened the door.

"Captain- I mean Sir Kirkland! I wasn't expecting you! Please, come inside."

Arthur gratefully stepped in, as it was starting to drizzle out. He took a minute to gather his thoughts as Tori ran off to the kitchen to fetch some Ceylon tea.

Quickly the young man returned and they sat down together. There was a comfortable silence between the two for a few minutes as they both nursed the hot tea. Finally, Arthur spoke.

"I need you to help me gather up the crew again. I'm taking the fleet up against the Spanish Armada, the Britannia Angel at the head."

Tori almost spat out some of his tea in surprise. "I thought you said you were never going to sail the Britannia Angel in battle again?"

"The Queen asked me to…and I had a feeling that my ship hadn't seen her last battle yet. And I need my crew- and you, to be there with me one final time. I don't trust anyone more than I trust all of you."

Tori set his teacup down on the table in front of them, and looked up again at Arthur. "Count me in, Sir! Or would that be Captain?"

Arthur laughed. "Come on, I'll always be your captain!"

"Even after I die and you're still alive?"

"Even then. Friendship lasts forever, as cliché as that sounds."

They shook hands over it, and the round up of 203 men began.

-Fast Forward-

Evening fell upon the earth, and the Britannia Angel glided through the waters of the darkening sea majestically, the entire British fleet following in her wake. Arthur's entire crew was ready, and the flame and passion of battle filled them, most of all within their captain. Part of him would never lose this flame, this feeling; it was just how his soul was.

The sails billowed and stretched. The Britannia Angel proudly flew her colors; the British flag, the flag of England, and the Jolly Roger, for old times sake. Arthur wasn't one to just glide over the details, now was he?

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo looked out from his own ship, watching his enemy approach. Through his spyglass he could faintly see Arthur, who suddenly vanished from his sight when he crouched down. Little did Antonio know, Arthur was doing his little ritual (see first chapter if you forgot, I'm not going through it again.)

"Prepare the cannons and get up your arms!" Arthur yelled as the fleet grew ever nearer to the Armada. He then signaled the other ships to do the same thing by raising his sword in the air.

On his own ship, Antonio saw the movement, and called his men to arms as well. "Get ready!"

Arthur's eyes glinted, his emerald orbs practically glowing with the fire of determination. He was going to WIN once and for all, and damn he was going to enjoy it. Every. Fucking. Moment.

"On my signal now," Arthur said, raising his hand a bit as his ships started to slide between Antonio's Armada. The night air was deathly still, vibrating with murderous tension. Antonio turned from his ship to look at Arthur, who was glaring back at him with a gaze powerful enough to make the Greek Fates tremble in fear with his ferocity. Arthur swiftly brought his hand down.

"All ships! FIRE!"

The sea roared to life with the explosive sounds of mass gun and cannon fire. The once silent air now rang with cries of pain, of bloodlust, of war. Blades clashed as men from both sides jumped ships, attacking the enemy viciously with everything they had. Antonio did as many others did, jumping over to the Britannia Angel where Arthur stood waiting with that intense gaze of his, Arthur's composure not cracking in the least. The Spaniard saw the fire in the other man's emerald eyes, and he knew it was either triumph or be triumphed over. He whipped his sword from his sheath, lunging for Arthur.

"For my kingdom!"

"For the empire," Arthur stated as his own blade flashed out from his sheath, neatly blocking Antonio's cutlass.

"Why do you use a sword from the Crusades?" Antonio couldn't help but ask as Arthur parried some of his blows.

"As one certain Prussian would say 'Because I'm Awesome.'" Arthur said with a smirk on his face. All of the Britannia Angel's cannons fired at once, blowing to ships on either side into not much more than dust and driftwood. Arthur cackled and swung his sword straight at Antonio's chest, the rumble of cannons in the background filling him with the feeling he had once treated like a drug; the feeling of being completely unstoppable, indestructible. The British nation was a force of nature of his own.

The Spaniard's blood splattered from the wound across his chest, blood trickling down Arthur's beloved blade. Arthur grinned and kicked Antonio in the stomach, knocking him backwards off of the deck of the Britannia Angel, plummeting straight in the battle-churned sea below. Antonio returned to the surface after a moment, gasping for air, the gash on his chest stinging and burning from the contact with the salty seawater.

Arthur laughed again, and looked down over the side of the ship at Antonio. All around them, every Spanish ship burned, the blazing fires shooting gales of smoke into the night sky. Embers smoldered, only to be put out by the sea as the timber of ships sank beneath the surface of the waves.

"Tell your king that Great Britain is the most powerful empire in the world!" Arthur shouted down at Antonio. "NEVER FORGET THAT!"

Antonio grimaced as he kept himself afloat. His chest was practically screaming in pain now, the wound inflicted by Arthur deep and messy. He began the long swim back to shore, bedraggled and defeated.

On every British ship, cheers of victory sounded. Arthur was raised upon the shoulders of his men, basking in the glory of it all. It was a night he would truly never forget.

-The Next Day-

All of London seemed to be in front of the palace, where Arthur stood proudly next to Queen Elizabeth, who was addressing the people, a smile on her sweet face. The Britannia Angel's crew were in the very front, along with the rest of those who had served in the battle. Arthur was proud to say he hadn't a single one of his 203 men on the Britannia Angel, the ship that he had stowed away safely to a place where it would stay for all eternity, preserved by magic, never to sail in battle again. (Of course, that wasn't going to stop Arthur from still taking joy rides.)

The Queen turned to Arthur. "We wouldn't have gained victory without you, my dear," she said. Elizabeth then went to stand among the crowd, leaving Arthur as the sole individual standing before thousands of people. His Queen joined among the masses at the front of them, and then turned back to face Arthur with everyone else. Silence rang through the air, everything still.

Then Queen Elizabeth bowed down, the thousands of others joining her, the crowd sweeping down in a ripple. No ruler had ever bowed down to Arthur Kirkland before; this moment was just as empowering as the night before. Then, the Queen's voice rang sharp and clear through the silent air so everyone could hear.

"ALL HAIL THE PIRATE EMPIRE!"


	24. Epilogue and Preview

Arthur and Alfred were the last to walk into the conference room, STILL talking about pirates as they found their seats and sat down. They failed to notice the other nations becoming quiet and turning to stare at them.

"I can't believe that's the end of the story," Alfred moaned. "I really liked it."

"What story, aru?"

"Ve, story time is fun!"

"Ohonhonhon, I wonder what kind of story this was?"

"SHUT UP! Fine, I'll tell the whole thing again," Arthur said. The whole world (literally) leaned in to listen as Arthur started all over.

"So, it went like this…"

THE END…or is it? Keep reading for a sneak peek at the sequel: Anarchy vs. The Pirate Empire!

-And Here's The Preview-

Arthur turned and ran; he didn't know where he was running to, but he just had a feeling he had to get away from the freaky body builder guy he had just seen. The Brit escaped all the way to the old, ruined little chapel on the edge of the village. As he stopped to regain some energy, Arthur mentally cursed himself for not running back towards the inn where Alfred was probably still safe in bed.

He heard the crunching of feet on gravel, but Arthur turned too late; a large, muscular arm caught him around his slim waist, the other pressing a handkerchief to his face. Arthur panicked, and accidentally took in a breath; big mistake. The smell of chemicals was sickly sweet, and it made him feel dizzy and tired. That was when the British nation/angel passed out.

He awoke about an hour later to find himself leaned against the outside wall of a ship's cabin. As Arthur came to, he noticed a man checking his pulse, poking him, feeling his hair and inspecting his skin. As Arthur became fully aware, the man looked him straight in the eyes. Arthur took in the man's clothing, and decided that he had to be the Captain.

"Hmm, very nice," the man commented. "I'm sure you're just the type of lad someone will be looking for, hmm?"

That was when Arthur realized that this wasn't just a modern-day pirate ship; these pirates specialized in HUMAN treasure. Dammit, where the bloody Hell was Alfred when you needed him?


End file.
